Panchagarh Correspondent:
Tulips, the flower of royal beauty, have started blooming for the fifth time in Tentulia, Panchagarh’s northernmost border upazila. A foreign ‘tulip’ flower garden is adorning the Dorjipara area. Spring flowers have bloomed in the garden. Under the initiative of a private development organization and with the funding of the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), a woman entrepreneur has cultivated this foreign flower on her land for the fifth time.
Locals see the tulip garden in Tentulia as a new tourism opportunity. Women entrepreneurs who grow tulips say that tulips are usually cultivated in cold countries like the Netherlands, Kashmir, and Turkey. The climate of Tentulia is suitable for cultivating these flowers. Success has been achieved by cultivating tulips here for the last 5 years.
This time, on January 10, tulip seeds from the Netherlands were sown in Dorjipara, Tentulia. Tulips have bloomed in several gardens after growing seedlings in 20-25 days. This time, the 19 species of tulips include Antarctica, Denmark, Lalibela, Dutch Suryoday, Strong Gold, Jantupink, White Marvel, Mystic Van Eyck, Happy Generation and Golden Ticket.
On Tuesday (February 17) afternoon, when visiting the Dorjipara area, it was seen that tourists from various parts of the district and the surrounding areas had come to see the tulip flowers on the banks of the Mahananda River in Tentulia. Many of them are taking pictures on their mobile phones. Some are collecting tulips from the tulip garden on the occasion of Valentine’s Day.
Entrepreneur Mosha Raisun Akhter said, “80 to 100 flowers are being sold every day. At the end of the last three seasons, each entrepreneur received 40-50 thousand taka. I hope to make a profit this time too. With the profit money, our family has regained prosperity. I have become self-sufficient. I am able to educate my children.’
Tetulia Agricultural Extension Officer Md. Jiban Islam said, Tetulia tulip flowers are so beautiful that you cannot understand them unless you see them in reality. We have been giving them the right advice.
ESDO Founder and Executive Director Muhammad Shahid Uz Zaman said, for the fifth time, women entrepreneurs have cultivated tulips in Tetulia. The main objective of this project is to make rural women economically and socially self-reliant and to take Tetulia forward in ecotourism. The project is attracting tourists even though it is not profitable. They are fascinated, that is our interest.’
Tetulia Upazila Executive Officer Afroz Shahin Khasru said that in Tetulia, tulip flowers are being cultivated here at the end of winter under the initiative of a private development organization. This tulip garden with exotic and spring colors is now considered a new link in the tourism of Tetulia with potential.