Bangladesh is yet to achieve its potential in flower exports as the country is unable to produce sufficient breeds in absence of adequate research and development, according to industry people.
"We need to develop better varieties using advanced technologies to boost flower exports," said Zahir Uddin Md Babar, organizing secretary of the Bangladesh Flower Society (BFS).
Babar was speaking at a workshop styled "Global Flower Market Quality Standards and Challenges for Bangladeshi Florists" at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council in Dhaka yesterday. Organized by the BFS, the event brought together various stakeholders of the local flower industry to discuss the prospects and challenges of exporting floricultural crops.
Babar informed that about 30 percent of the country's flower production is damaged each year due to the lack of post-harvest technology, such as trucks equipped with temperature-controlled freezers. The flower market in Bangladesh is currently valued at about Tk 1,500 crore, much of which is met through cloning mother plants imported from countries such as India.
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