Lilium flower farming is highly profitable: experts

Farmers can reap high profits from cultivation of Lilium flower adopting modern technologies .

Farmers can reap high profits from cultivation of Lilium flower adopting modern technologies and ensuring post harvest proper management in rural areas of Rangpur region and across the country.
Agriculturists and specialist floriculturists viewed this at a farmers' field day on 'Modern production technology, post harvest management, bulb production and preservation technology of Lilium flower' held at village Arajiniamat in Gangachara upazila here on Saturday.
The Floriculture Division of Horticulture Research Centre (HRC) of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) at Joydebpur in Gazipur organized the event with funding from Krishi Gobeshona Foundation (KGF).
Fifty enthusiastic male and female farmers of Sadar and Gangachara upazilas in Rangpur participated in the event.
Principal Scientific Officer (PSO) of the Floriculture Division at HRC of BARI Dr. Farjana Nasrin Khan presided over the event and presented modern
technologies for production, post-collection management, bulb production and preservation of Lilium flowers.
Chief Scientific Officer of Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) of BARI at Burirhat in Rangpur Agriculturist Dr. Ashis Kumar Saha attended the event as the chief guest.
PSO of the On-Farm Research Division of BARI at Alamnagar in Rangpur Dr. Md. Al-Amin Hossain Talukder and PSO of RARS at Burirhat Agriculturist Dr. Md. Obaidul Haque spoke as special guests.
Local farmers Abdul Quader and Abdul Rashid, who are involved in farming Lilium flowers on exhibition plots, said that it is possible to produce Lilium flowers very well in the winter season in Rangpur region.
They put emphasis on providing training to more farmers to expand cultivation of Lilium flower on a commercial basis and extending cooperation in marketing of produced flowers. Expert floriculturist Dr. Farjana Nasrin Khan said Lilium belongs to the Liliaceae family.
"Lilium has recently been added to commercially grown flowers in Bangladesh. Lilium ranks fourth among the top 10 flowers in the flower markets across the world," she said.
The unique attraction of Lilium is its color diversification, long preservation and aroma which are very important to enhance beauty and diversification and bring more profits.
Dr. Nasrin discussed modern production technologies of Lilium flower, its post-harvest management, bulb production and preservation and answered
various questions of farmers.Dr. Talukder emphasized proper market management of Lilium flower to ensure fair prices of the produced flower for farmers.
Dr. Haque urged participating farmers to be interested in expanding flower cultivation at a higher rate.
Dr. Ashis Kumar Saha said the climate, soil, soil topography and irrigation facilities of Rangpur region are favourable for Lilium flower cultivation.
As Lilium flowers are attractive in color and have a relatively long durability, farmers would be able to produce the flowers abundantly to meet the regional demand and send those to other parts of Bangladesh.
"A large number of farmers will be imparted training on Lilium and other flower cultivation," he added.