Tulips — the brightly coloured flowers usually associated with the Netherlands — are now growing in Tetulia upazila of Panchagarh district, boosting tourism prospects and local economy. Seeing the success of a pilot scheme, this year, tulips are being grown on a large tract of land in Darjipara of Tetulia. Tulips grown in the Panchagarh district are now being sold in Dhaka due to high demands. Last year, eight women earned Tk 65,000 each by growing tulips on their land — on a pilot basis — and this year, 20 women are growing the beautiful flowers on two acres of land considering the prospects. Also read: Danish ambassador, IFAD country director visit tulip gardens in Panchagarh This year, they are expecting to sell tulips worth Tk one crore. Financed by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), Echo Social Development Organisation (ESDO) and Rural Microenterprise Transformation Project (MRTP) undertook the pilot project with the help of rural women. They have created a new prospect for livelihood.

Ambassador of Denmark to Bangladesh, Winnie Estrup Petersen, has visited tulip gardens in Panchagarh district and hoped that the vibrant flowers will create livelihood opportunities for the rural community. “I am very pleased to be here, in this colourful tulip garden, and proud that the Danish government, together with IFAD and the government of Bangladesh, has invested in building capacities of these young women farmers,” she said. A delegation – financing a rural development project boosting microenterprises – visited the tulip fields in Panchagarh district on Monday. The delegation included Ambassador Petersen and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Country Director in Bangladesh Arnoud Hameleers. They spoke with local farmers who are growing tulips with assistance from the Rural Microenterprise Transformation Project, co-funded by IFAD and the Danish International Development Agency. Read more: Tulip farming opens new opportunity for farmers in Tetulia, Jashore Typically grown in cooler climates, there is high demand for tulips in Dhaka. In 2021, eight farmers were trained to cultivate and market tulips as part of a value chain development initiative implemented by the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation and its partner organization, the Eco-Social Development Organisation, IFAD said on Tuesday.