Plant lovers and visitors crowded the National Tree Fair under way in Agargaon in the capital. On the weekly holiday, people of all ages came to buy and look at plants.

People involved with the fair said few visitors had come during four days of continuous rain. With Friday a holiday and the rain easing, the crowds grew, and they expected sales of Tk 50 lakh to Tk 60 lakh that day.

A visit to the fair in Agargaon on Friday (11 July) found that crowds swelled after Jumma prayers. Some came to buy indoor plants, some flowering and timber trees, and others were looking for fruit and medicinal plants. Many toured the array of ornamental plants with their families.

Young people showed particular interest in indoor plants such as money plants, snake plants, succulents and cacti. Older visitors looked for fruit trees including lemon, mango, jackfruit, guava and jamrul, while many women were buying chui jhal, spice, timber and medicinal plants.

Azharul Islam came from Malibagh to buy plants. He told Jago News: "I rent in Dhaka and have a small balcony at home. I bought a lemon tree and some indoor plants. If I had enough space I would have liked to make a garden."

Nursery owners and salespeople at the fair told Jago News that few people had come in the past few days because of the rain. With the holiday and no rain, crowds were growing and sales were happening.

Ibrahim Hossain of Ibrahim Nursery told Jago News that there are more plant lovers than before, but there is not enough space in the city to plant trees. "Some people build a separate room on the roof and rent it out; others turn the whole roof into a garden. There are many plant lovers who badly want to buy plants but cannot for lack of space."

The organisers said this year's fair is bigger than in the past few years, attendance is good and the variety of plants is attracting people. Without the disruption of rain, the fair would pick up over the coming days.

Shahena Akter, librarian of the Forest Department, told Jago News at the fair: "By our latest count, plants worth Tk 21 lakh were sold on the 9th. From 25 June to 9 July, 6,62,581 saplings were sold. Visitors have increased today, and I hope many plants will be sold today as well. Many people are asking for the fair to be extended; our authorities will announce a decision on this later."

She said a doctor is on duty during the fair, and a number of visitors and salespeople who fell ill have received first aid.

A total of 135 nurseries are taking part this year. Besides plants, stalls are selling soil, pots, organic fertiliser and other gardening supplies. The fair began on 25 June with the slogan "Let us plant planned forests, let us build a green Bangladesh" and is due to end on 24 July. It is open daily from 9am to 8pm.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.