Locally grown flowers sell well in Arakan State

By Admin 21 Dec 2024

DMG Newsroom
21 December 2024, Mrauk-U

Locally grown flowers are in high demand in Arakan State as the junta’s blockades have effectively barred the supply of flowers from Yangon and other parts of the country, according to flower growers and sellers.

Previously, demand for locally grown flowers was low as residents preferred flowers from other parts of the country.

“Those who grow flowers for religious offerings are doing good business. Hundreds of thousands of kyats worth of flowers are being sold daily. They can supply flowers to all buyers. Previously, they only planted for one season, but now they grow continuously to meet demand,” said Daw Hla Hsan Yi, a flower grower from Kyauktaw Township.

Local flower growers in Arakan lacked agricultural technology, and flowers they produce are inferior in quality to those supplied from markets outside Arakan State.

“Previously, we ordered seedlings, but after the blockades, we use grafting to grow flower plants as we can’t buy seedlings,” said flower grower Daw Aye Mar Hsan from northern Arakan State.

Although their methods work and yields are good, they still need technical assistance, as well as fertilisers and pesticides, to grow flowers of better quality, growers say.

“The flowers are beautiful, but the leaves are infested as I can’t get pesticide. The leaves are not green, but dull,” said Daw Hla Hsan Yi.

Limited access to seedlings, fertilisers and pesticides and high production costs are posing challenges to local farmers in Arakan State.