Skip fancy florists: Dhaka’s wholesale flowers beat boutique prices

Dhaka still surprises me; can you believe that? Born and brought up in this city, I think I am a true ambassador of the town -- a little eccentric, a tad bit politically volatile, and very angry for no good reason.

Having lived here for a couple of scores and more, I take pride in the fact that I know Dhaka like the back of my palm. However, last Friday at the crack of dawn, Dhaka pulled a rabbit out of its cap for me -- the Shahbagh wholesale flower market.

I had heard about this wholesale and retail flower market many times. Still, I was under the impression that the few tin shacks, selling flower garlands and bouquets opposite the National Museum building, were all the fabled market had to offer. I never ventured beyond the walls of these flower shops and so had no knowledge that engulfed in darkness and lit by moonbeams, a wholesale flower market existed where farmers sell directly to traders.

The main trading begins around 2:00am and ends by 10:00am, but the vendors and small traders continue for a while before going to their regular stalls and flower-selling spots throughout the city.

0Heaps and heaps of marigolds, roses, jasmine, gerbera, tuberoses, and leaves lay on the ground of the area. The place is murky because of all the crushed petals and garbage; day-old unsold lots give out a stench as well. But the colours of the fresh flowers and the prices at which they are selling make up for all the nastiness.

I was floored when a young boy sold a dozen multi-coloured gerbera for only Tk 120. I asked him the price thrice, and he only smiled and said, "This is the wholesale market and not your street corner."

Photo: Firoz Ahmed

True enough, a stick of gerbera in any flower shop inside the city is Tk 30 each. The price of yellow, white, pink, and of course, red roses is between Tk 150 to Tk 200 for a bundle of 100 sticks. Young kids selling these roses at traffic signals usually ask for Tk 250 for ten sticks.

This is the place where event planners go to buy their props. Besides flowers, the market has shops that sell everything a party planner needs, from scotch tapes to fabrics for pandals, fairy lights to wrapping paper, confetti, firecrackers -- the whole enchilada. Interestingly, these too sell at wholesale prices.

Intimate ceremonies have long been forgotten in our celebrations -- weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, even family or friends' get-togethers require party planners. When there is such a demand for all things pretty and flowery, no wonder flower farming has become important. You cannot import to meet mass demand.

Flowers thrive in sunlight. This is something our tropical country has in plenty. Jhikargacha in Jashore is the major hub of floriculture, and places in other districts like Birulia in Savar, and Panchagar in Manikganj play along. Cultivation of tuberose, gladiolus, rose, marigold, lotus, gerbera, hyacinth, and chrysanthemum see year-round production.

Flower cultivation is a lucrative sector that is aiding the event management services, another emerging sector in Dhaka and other big cities, and thus, new production belts in Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, and Rangpur are added to the flower farming sector.

Extreme weather conditions like heat waves, incessant rains, and fog disrupt production and the prices go up, otherwise, the farmers are happy to cultivate all year round and sell at reasonable prices.

So, next time you just want to cheer up a dark corner of your home, give someone cut flowers, or even plan parties. Besides Shahbagh, Agargaon also has one such wholesale flower market as well, and occasional retailers like me are both surprised and impressed by the flurry of flower trading activity happening there, every dawn.