It began as a hobby. Driven by strong will and a love of plants, Atifa Nasrin Rakhi of Dimla upazila in Nilphamari has become a successful entrepreneur. Her nursery, Plantology, which started with just Tk 1,000 worth of cactus, now holds a thousand species of local and foreign plants. Now a commercial business, it earns the woman entrepreneur close to a lakh taka a month after all costs.

The nursery has a wide range of local and foreign fruit, timber, medicinal and ornamental plants. Rare indoor plants and orchids draw plant lovers most. People come from far and wide every day to buy the plants they want, and by providing good-quality saplings and sound advice she has won their trust in a short time.

Rakhi is the wife of Shakil Khan, a businessman from Goyabari village in Dimla upazila. In 2020 she spent just Tk 1,000 on two pairs of cactus seedlings to decorate her home. Her love of plants and a passion for collecting new species gradually led her to become an entrepreneur, and her hobby garden has now become a commercial nursery.

The nursery stocks cactus, succulents, sansevieria, aloe vera, aglaonema, coleus, tradescantia, monstera, philodendron, money plant, bougainvillea, crown of thorns, orchids and many other indoor plants, flowers and foliage plants. In all it holds saplings worth Tk 15-20 lakh.

Rakhi sells saplings directly from the nursery as well as online, through a page also called Plantology. Garden lovers from different parts of the country order after seeing photos and videos of plants on social media, and the saplings are delivered by courier.

To take her venture further, she also takes part in fairs and exhibitions. She recently took two stalls at a trade fair in Rangpur to show and sell various plants and saplings, and said visitors and garden lovers responded well and sales met her expectations.

At the nursery, plants of many species are arranged in pots of various sizes and hanging containers. Cactus, succulents, sansevieria and foliage plants sit in rows under shades and on platforms. Alongside colourful-leaved aglaonema, coleus, monstera and philodendron there are succulents including jade plant, echeveria and haworthia, and cactus of many shapes and colours catch visitors' eyes.

Rakhi plans to expand the nursery. She said the start was not easy, but with proper care, patience and perseverance the nursery has become a beautiful "green paradise". She has also created jobs for several local people in running and tending it.

She readily acknowledges her family's support. Her husband Shakil Khan and mother-in-law Sajeda Begum helped her from the start. At first she ran the nursery alone, but now two to three employees work with her regularly.

According to Rakhi, after the cost of plant care and other expenses she makes a profit of about Tk 80,000 a month, and when sales are good her monthly income goes past a lakh taka. But she believes there is no substitute for patience and regular care if you want to make a profit from plants.

"Every plant needs different care," she said. "I had to gain experience of how much water, what kind of soil and what fertiliser each plant needs. Plant diseases have to be identified and dealt with as needed."

In Rakhi's view, a nursery like this can be set up even in a small space. It can be started on a courtyard, a rooftop or fallow land with a little training and experience, and with proper care and management it can be a good source of extra income. Women in particular can create work for themselves with such ventures alongside their household duties.

After visiting the nursery, Dimla upazila agriculture officer Mir Hasan Al Banna told Jagonews24: "Rakhi's venture is very commendable. She has used her hobby to build a promising nursery. It has saplings of many local and foreign species, which is also building interest in gardening among local people. The agriculture department will give her the advice and support she needs."

The agriculture officer added that commercial nurseries of flowers and ornamental plants give rural women a chance to become self-reliant, and that such ventures can also play an important role in creating local jobs and beautifying the environment.

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