Political unrest cuts flower sales, hits traders hard

The ongoing political unrest has hit the city's flower traders hard, as their sales declined sharply despite peak season and special occasions.
The flower shop owners said they could not get half of their investment back during the New Year celebration. But it was one of the major business occasions for them.
Two traders, having shop in the city's Shahbag and Baily Road areas, said they lost their major targeted clients on the eve of the New Year. Because, the law-enforcing agencies restricted people's movement soon after evening on Dec 31, they also said.
"I expected Tk 60,000 sale on the occasion of the new year. But I could hardly sell flowers worth Tk 20,000," said Abdul Khaleque, a shop owner at Baily Road.
He blamed the law enforcers for putting barricades on different roads in the city much earlier than the usual time.
The law-enforcing agencies barricaded major thoroughfares, including at Baily Road and Shahbag, the city's two major flower sales centres, at 7pm on Dec 31.
Gazi Naimur Rahman, a Shahbag-based flower shop owner, said due to the barricades hardly anyone could come to the shops to buy flowers for their near and dear ones.
He also said most of the traders had to invest high this year due to the ongoing political unrest, which lowered flower supply and raised transport cost.
The flower traders are already in dire straits amid continuous political programmes, like - blockade and hartal, though the usual season for wedding began after the Eid-ul-Fitr.
Shop owners at Shahbagh added that the law-enforcing agencies put restriction on 'thirty-first celebration' in the area following an unwanted incident at TSC on the Dhaka University campus a few years back.
As a result, their New Year sales have been experiencing a deplorable trend during the last one decade.
Besides, they cannot continue their business properly due to lack of adequate support by the authorities concerned despite high demand for fresh flowers.
The traders also said their business has been hampered in the wedding season also, as the community centre owners often do not allow them to decorate stages and gates during various programmes.
"The New Year festival was our last hope. But it was also shattered. No trader could sell half of his target," said a trader.
The business of selling fresh flowers has become popular in the country since the last two decades. Cultivation of flowers has also become lucrative among farmers because of getting good prices against their produce.
Various flowers, like - rose, tuberose, zerbera, gladiolus, marigold, chrysanthemum and orchid etc, have been popular among people.
Besides, a number of imported flowers have also become popular. These flowers are imported during the special occasions, like - both English and Bangla new years and the Eids.