Flower growers at Godkhali in Jashore's Jhikargachha upazila are passing hectic time due to a series of festivities including the celebration the first day of spring, Pahela Falgun, as well as Ekushey February, the International Mother Language Day, and Valentine's Day.

The flowers cultivated here are also being exported to different countries every day with the florists expecting Tk 70cr trade this spring, our Benapole correspondent reports.

The flower growers of Godkhali, known as the kingdom of flowers, usually eagerly wait for February, a month that comes with coluorful celebrations in which flowers play a vital part.

February 13-14 are the busiest days for the florists when Pahela Falgun and Valentine’s Day are celebrated respectively. Exchanging flowers among the loved ones is a common ritual in the country in these two days. Sale of flowers soars with the celebrations especially on the Valentine’s Day, traders say.

According to the Godkhali Flower Traders Association, a wide variety of flowers like roses, gerberas, gladioli, dahlias and sunflowers are being cultivated in the area.

Around six thousand gardeners cultivating the flowers in an aggregate of 1,500 hectares of land there, according to the association.

The flower cultivation in Godkhali began in 1983 on a meager 30 decimal of land, said MA Rahim, president of Godkhali Flower Traders Association. 36 years down the line, the cultivation has spread over 1,500 hectares of land, he said adding the wholesale flower market at Godkhali is the source of 70 percent of the entire flower supply of the country. Flowers cultivated here are being exported to Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore and North Korea, said Rahim.