Water lily cultivation takes turn to economical income

Water lily being cultivated in Kurigram staff-quarters pond

and being sold its plants and flowers

Water-lily is being cultivated for economical income in a nursery of Kurigram town.

Mahiuddin Shohel, 28, Muazzin-cum-Imam of Kurigram government staff-quarters mosque and nursery owner, has been producing water lily in the staff-quarters pond of Kurigram town and selling its plants and flowers for three years.

Shohel is a tree-lover from his student life. After getting charge of the Muazzin-cum-Imam in 2008, he took lease 40 decimals of land to the mosque committee in 2012 for producing tree and flower plants. There is a small ditch of eight decimals of the land.

He had no proper training on planting saplings and nursery business. Sometimes, he would visit various nurseries and learn about producing various saplings. Now he is maintaining family of five members.

He started nursery taking a fund of Tk 6,000 that has been extended over Taka four lakh.

Shohel said - I collected five saplings of Red water lily from local PWD’s pond in 2012 and panted those in the ditch. I sold water lily flower as Tk 20 per piece that year.

I visited some nurseries of Dhaka’s Agargaon area in 2014 and found they were selling the red water lily and violet water lily plants at Tk 2,500 to Tk 3,000 per sapling with tub, he added.

“After some days, Kurigram Civil Surgeon Dr. Taufiqul Islam had come in my nursery to buy the red water lily and said he bought one piece of violet water lily from Dinajpur. He gave me the violet water lily in 2015 while he was transferred,” he added.

“In that year, I sold 12 saplings of the violet water lily as Tk 2,000 per piece. From next year, being produced hug saplings, I reduced its rate. This year I have planted over 500 plants of red water lily in another pond.

“There are around 600 plants of red water lily and about 225 plants of violet water lily in my nursery ponds. I am selling the plants at Tk 400 to Tk 600 per piece. If anybody wants the plants with tub, then he is paid more Tk 500. Now I am trying to collect Yellow water lily from India,” Shohel said.

“I found more demand of water lily to some people who are interested to make nursery in rooftops of their buildings. Quack physicians buy the red water lily from me. Besides, the water lily gives flower in all seasons while no needs deep care for it,” he said.

“I sold water lily plants of Tk 24,000 in 2015, about Tk 50,000 in 2016, about Tk 55,000 in 2017 and Tk 20,000 in 2018 till now. Coming year, I shall extend water lily nursery in 15 decimals of the mosque adjacent low land,” Shohel said.

Kurigram Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Sasty Chandra Roy said, “Cultivating water lily in the unused water body, it is a good initiative of Mahiuddin Shohel who is contributing in keeping ecological system preserving the lost botanical plants like water lily. Now the water lily is going to damage in various water bodies day by day through agriculture extension.”