Water lilies support 3,000 families in Gopalganj

Naturally growing water lilies have become a seasonal source of income for around 3,000 families in Gopalganj's Kashiaini upazila, where residents collect the flowers from wetlands and sell them in local markets, thereby meeting local demand for vegetables while sustaining livelihoods during the monsoon.

Every morning, men and women travel by boat to wetlands in Singa, Rahuthar and Hatiara to collect water lilies, a trade that requires virtually no capital. Meanwhile, a wholesale market has developed in Rahuthar, attracting collectors from surrounding villages, from where wholesalers transport the flowers by vans and three-wheelers to markets in Gopalganj, Jessore, Magura, Jhenaidah, Narail and nearby areas.

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Collector Gobinda Biswas said he had supported his family by selling water lilies during the monsoon for the past decade, earning around Tk 500–700 a day. According to Kashiaini Agriculture Officer Md Ejazul Karim, the seasonal trade not only contributes to household nutrition but also provides employment, with around 3,000 families in the upazila relying on water-lily collection for their livelihoods.