The flower named Gerbera is new for Bangladeshi people. It is a flower resembles to Sunflower and its leaf looks like that of the spinach. The flower has become very popular in this country within a couple of years or so.
Almost 30 varieties of Gerbera flowers are available in the market of the country. Red, yellow, orange, white, pink and purple coloured Gerbera are more in demand. The flower is native of South America, Africa and Egypt. Now, India and many other countries in Asia are cultivating the flower commercially.
In Bangladesh, farmers of Jashore, Jhenaidah, Kushtia, Chuadanga, Bogura and Rajshahi have started cultivation and production of this flower. But, sapling of the flower is not produced in the country.
Production of sapling of the flower is very hard. Tissue culture is the only way by which Gerbera saplings could be produced.
Flower lovers and gardeners import saplings of the flower from India. Price of each sapling is taka 20 to 30. After plucking the flower, it stays fresh for 20 days. Its beauty and longevity of freshness has made it very popular among flower lovers.
Taka five crores worth of Gerbera stick is sold in Bangladeshi markets every year and saplings worth taka one crore is imported from India each year. Rajshahi Agriculture Extension Department sources informed, farmers of Rajshahi and Bogura are now cultivating Gerbera flower in their fields. Some nursery owners import the saplings and sell those to the farmers. Many young people are now starting Gerbera cultivation and removing their unemployment problem.
It is very easy to cultivate the flower. Professor Monjur Alam of the department of Botany of Rajshahi University who has been conducting research on Tissue Culture for years was highly hopeful of the commercial prospect of Gerbera in Bangladesh. He said, scientists of the country have already developed saplings of the flower through tissue culture and hoped within a short time, Bangladesh will not require to import saplings of the flower.