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Cultivation techniques and Economics of Orchids in Bangladesh: a case study from two NGOs of Bangladesh


Cultivation techniques and Economics of Orchids in Bangladesh: a case study from two NGOs of Bangladesh
                                                     Course title: Project Work
                                                        Course no: FOR-425
                                                         Reg. no. 2003631030
This paper has been prepared and submitted to the Department of Forestry, ShahJalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Sylhet for the requirement of partial fulfillment for the degree of Bachelor of Science (Honors) in Forestry.
                                          
                  DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
                     SHAHJALAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
                                             SYLHET-3114, BANGLADESH.
                                                              July- 2009.
                                                     


DECLARATION
  
I hereby declare that this paper entitled “Cultivation techniques and Economics of Orchids in Bangladesh: a case study from two NGOs of Bangladesh. It has been prepared by me to submit as dissertation for the partial fulfillment of B.Sc. (Hons.) degree in Forestry and Environmental Science. This project paper has not been submitted elsewhere for any other purpose.





Author
Reg. No. 2003631030
Session: 2003-2004
Department of Forestry and Environmental Science,
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology,
Sylhet- 3114.



                                                      

CERTIFICATION

This is to certify that Jannat Un Naher, Registration No. 2003631030, Session 2003-2004 has prepared this project paper under my guidance and supervision. I do hereby approve the style and contents of this project paper for the partial fulfillment of the degree of professional B.Sc. (Hons.) in Forestry from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh.









Dr. Narayan Saha
Associate Professor,
Department of Forestry and Environmental Science,
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology,
Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh.
                                                      



DEDICATED TO
                                 
My
      Younger sister
                                               LUBNA


ACKNOELEDGEMENT

First of all I would like to express my gratefulness to the almighty Allah for giving me ability to complete my Project work in sound health. Then my thousands thanks to my parents and sisters for everything they have done for me.  
I am very much grateful to Dr. Narayan Saha, Associate Professor, Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114, for his supervision in this study. Without his help it was not possible for me to complete my project work.
Special thanks to officials of orchid gardens of Wonderland Toys and BRAC, President of Orchid Society of Bangladesh, Sayma apu and Sohel bhaia for their intense help during the project period.
I acknowledge the contribution of my friends Alam, Swati, Atik, Rasel, Robiul, Borna, Benu, Sraboni, Sumon, Nobel, Dipti, and Rupali for co-operating in preparing this research paper in different ways.
Finally I pay gratefulness to those people who are directly or indirectly extended support for the successful completion of the study.




Author
July, 2009
Department of Forestry and Environmental Science
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology,
Sylhet-3114


Abstract

Orchid is a perennial flowering plant which produces flowers of various colors, shapes, sizes and often with luscious scent. In Bangladesh, three NGOs are planting orchids in a large scale, out of which two NGOs were selected purposively as study sites. The sampling intensity was 66.67%. This study finds out the cost-benefit ratio for both of those NGOs (cost benefit ratio for Wonderland Toys 2.39 and for BRAC 2.17) and assures that orchid cultivation is a beneficial or promising sector. Other findings of this study are the environment of this country is favorable for orchid cultivation and lots of foreign currency can be earned by exporting it. So government should take proper initiatives for the flourishment of this sector as early as possible.













            TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration…………………………………………………………………………….2
Certification……………………………………………………………………………3
Dedication……………………………………………………………………………..4
Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………………….5
Abstract………………………………………………………………………………..6
Table of contents………………………………………………………………………7 
List of tables…………………………………………………………………………....9
List of figures…………………………………………………………………………..9
Chapter-1: Introduction……………………………………………………………..12
1.1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………....12
1.2. Study Objectives………………………………………………………………….13
Chapter-2: literature review…………………………………………………………15
2.1. Orchid……………………………………………………………………………..15
2.2. Different types of orchids in Bangladesh…………………………………………15
        2.2.1. Information about some indigenous orchids………………………………16                                                                                                                                                                                 
        2.2.2. Information about some exotic orchids……………………………………17
2.3. Background and history of orchids……………………………………………….19
2.4. Physiological Description of Orchids…………………………………………….19
 
2.5. Orchid cultivation process…………………………………………………………21
2.6. Orchid preferences…………………………………………………………………25
2.7. Orchid society in Bangladesh………………………………………………………30
2.8. Use of orchids………………………………………………………………………30
Chapter-3: Material and methods……………………………………………………..32
Chapter-4: Result and discussion………………………………………………………36
4.1. Cultivation Techniques of Orchids in Wonderland Toys……………………………36
4.2. Economics of Orchids in Wonderland Toys ………………………………………..37
4.3. Marketing channel for orchids of Wonderland Toys………………………………..40
4.4. Cultivation Techniques of Orchids in BRAC……………………………………….40
4.5. Economics of Orchids in BRAC……………………………………………………41
4.6. Marketing channel for orchids of BRAC……………………………………………43
4.7. Discussion……………………………………………………………………………44
Chapter-5: Conclusion and Recommendation…………………………………………46
References…………………………………………………………………………………47
Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………..49







LIST OF TABLES
Table: 1.Species wise requirements………………………………………………………29
Table: 2. Average production cost of orchid garden under Wonderland Toys…………..38  
Table: 3. Average income of orchid garden under Wonderland Toys……………………38
Table: 4. Average production cost of orchid garden under BRAC………………………42
Table: 5. Average income of orchid garden under BRAC……………………………….42


LIST OF FIGURES
Figure-1: Leaves of an orchid…………………………………………………………….20
Figure-2: Orchid roots…………………………………………………………………….20
Figure-3: Orchid flower………………………………………………………………......21
Figure-4: Coir……………………………………………………………………………..22
Figure-5: Earthen pots……………………………………………………………………..22
Figure-6: Plastic pots………………………………………………………………………23
Figure-7: Basket made of wood and bamboo……………………………………………..23
Figure-8: Thumb nails pots……………………………………………………………….24
Figure-9: (a) Shade in orchid garden of Wonderland Toys in Gazipur by net (b) Shade in orchid   garden of BRAC  in Gazipur by net .…….…………………………………………………26
Figure-10: Humidity tray……………………………………………………………………27
Figure-11: Map of the study site…………………………………………………………….32
Figure-12: Orchid garden under Wonderland Toys ………………………………………...36
Figure-13: Front side of orchid garden of Wonderland Toys ………………………………39
Figure-14: Marketing channel for orchid flowers of Wonderland Toys…………………….40
Figure-15: Orchid garden under BRAC……………………………………………………..41
Figure-16: Marketing Channel for orchid plants of BRAC…………………………………43














  Introduction
                                                          
                                          
      

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

     1.1. Introduction
Orchid belongs to the largest family (Orchidaceae) of the flowering plants (Royer, 2003). Orchidaceae are cosmopolitan, occurring in almost every habitat apart from deserts and glaciers. The great majority are to be found in the tropics, mostly in Asia, South America and Central America (Chakrabarti, 1986). Some countries of the world have indigenous orchid; Bangladesh is one of them. Indigenous orchids of Bangladesh are Rhyncostylis sp., Pierardi sp., Arides sp., Dendrobium sp., Cymbidium sp., Arnada sp., Arathera sp., Bokthara sp., Eridis sp., Miltonia sp., Hoya sp., Vanda sp. These orchids are found naturally occurring on the mango tree, wood apple tree, tamarind tree, rain tree, sissoo etc (Kabir, 2007). Exotic orchids of Bangladesh are Dendrobium sp., Oncidium sp., Phalaenopsis sp., Cattleya sp., Vanda sp., Ascocenda sp., Brassavola sp., Mokara sp., Paphiopedilum sp. (Kabir, 2007).

In 1909, in Bangladesh the land-lord of Baldha in Dhaka, Norendra Narayan Roy established the Baldha garden. He collected various orchids with other plats to rich his garden, which were collected from various countries of the world. In 1975, Forest Department published a booklet named “Baldha garden” which enlisted the name of about 26 orchid sp. (Kabir, 2007). The environment of Bangladesh is favorable for orchid plantation. If it is cultivated commercially in a large scale, it would be a great source of employment and would be able to earn a lot of foreign currency by exporting orchid flowers as exporting Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and some other countries (Kabir, 2007). In Bangladesh, three NGO's are planting orchids in a large scale. These are BRAC, Wonderland Toys and Proshika (Anonymous, 2007).






As Orchids has a huge potential to earn currency as well as creating employment opportunity, country like Bangladesh should give emphasis on the management and cultivation techniques of Orchids to hold this sector. On the other hand, the lack of information regarding Orchid management, cultivation techniques and contribution of Orchid is a barrier of raising this sector. However, no study yet has been explored on this issue.  Taking this view ahead the present study was conducted on the two NGOs (i.e. BRAC and Wonderland Toys) of Bangladesh to explore the economic condition, management and cultivation techniques of Orchids.

      1.2. Study Objectives
       The objective of the study is given below:
·       To know the cultivation and management techniques of orchids.
·       To determine the income of NGOs through orchid plantation.










Literature Review

    
                                                                                

                                     CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Orchid
Orchids are the perennial epiphytic or terrestrial or saprophytic herbs. They come in an infinite variety of colors, shapes and sizes and many make great indoor house plants (Royer, 2003). They range a size from a 2 inch. plant that can sit in the palm of one’s hand to 5 feet giants that need a tub to grow in (Anonymous, 2003). Orchidaceae (Orchid family) is the largest family of the flowering plants. Its name has been derived from the word “Orchis” which means testicles (Royer, 2003). There are more than 48,000 species of orchids in the world. Scientists are always trying to invent new hybrids of orchids and about 800 new species are being added each year (Anonymous, 2005). Orchids are mainly of 2 types:
(a) Terrestrial orchids: they grow on the ground, usually in marshland. Paphiopedilums and Cymbidiums are terrestrial orchids.
(b) Epiphytic orchids: they grow mainly on rocks and trees, where they hold on with thin or thick roots and take in nutrients that fall to them as well as absorb sunlight that reaches to them.
There is one another type of orchid which is few in number.       They do not have any green leaves and live on decayed vegetation. These are called saprophytes.
2.2. Different types of orchids in Bangladesh
After research, it has been proved that following orchids are more favorable for the environment of Bangladesh-
1. Indigenous orchid
·       Rhyncostylis (fox tail orchid)
·       Pierardi sp.
·       Arides sp.
·       Dendrobium chrysanthum
·       Cymbidium sp.
·       Arnada sp.
     
  2.2.1. Information about some indigenous orchids

Rhyncostylis:
It is called “Fox tail” or “Draupadi mala”. Its flower stick is about 12-15 inch. A plant may give 5-6 sticks in a flowering season. It blooms in March- April.
 Its flower may be white, pink, red, orange, yellow and violet.
It is found in the forests of Sylhet, Chittagong, Mymensingh and Dinajpur.

Pierardi:
It is available in Sylhet, Chittagong and almost everywhere of the country on large rain-trees and different old trees.
Its leaves are thin and stems are long. It blooms in the spring with pink or light pink flowers.

Arides:
It is found in Sylhet and Chittagong on large trees growing naturally. It blooms May- June. It prefers more water and fertilizer but don’t like any movement.

Cymbidium:
Its flowers are beautiful with various colors and shades. Its leaves are also very nice. It remains fresh 2-3 months on plants and about 1 month in flower-vase. SO, it is better as cut-flowers. This genus has 45 sp.
Cymbidium devonianum is available in a large number in Sylhet and Chittagong.

        Arnada:
It is known as “Bamboo orchid”. It is available in the forests in a large quantity. It needs not
        much care when it is cultivated. Its flower is of pink or light pink. It remains fresh more       
        than 1 month .The   plant may be 8 feet long. It blooms March-April to August.

       2. Exotic orchid
·     Dendrobium (Thai orchid)
·     Oncidium ( dancing doll or lady)
·     Phalaenopsis ( moth orchid)
·     Cattleya sp.
·     Vanda sp.
·     Ascocenda sp.
·     Brassavola sp.
·     Mokara sp.
·     Paphiopedilum sp.

2.2.2. Information about some exotic orchids

Dendrobium:
The weather of Bangladesh is favorable for this orchid. If it is maintained properly, it can bloom all the year round. Its flower stays on plants 3-4 months.
It has 1600 sp. in the world! There are some sp. of Dendrobium that grows naturally in Bangladesh.
When plants become 18-20 months old, they start flowering. Each stick contains 12-14 flowers. Flowers are medium in size and of various colors, like- pink, violet, white, yellow
         magenta and mixed colors. This is also known as “Sonia”.

        Oncidium:
It is called “Dancing doll” or “Lady”. Thailand uses the design of this flower to produce ornaments. Generally it blooms when it is 18-20 months old. Its each stick contains 25-30 flowers. Flowers are mainly of yellow color. This genus possesses 300 sp.

Phalaenopsis:
Its flowers look like butterflies, so it is called “Moth orchid”. Its leaves and roots are thick as a result it can retain water. It blooms flowers of white, pink, lemon, yellow and of stripes of violet, pink, brown etc. It has about 70 sp.
It starts flowering when plants are of 20-22 months old. Each stick contains 4-6 flowers.

Cattleya:
It is the most famous, costly and beautiful flowers with sweet smell than other orchid flowers. It is mainly of white, yellow, bright violet, red and light pink. Recently light blue
and light green Cattleya has been invented but they are very costly. It blooms when it is 20-22 months old. Its flowers are large in size and looks like china-rose. Each stick possesses 2-3 flowers.

       




     

        Vanda:
In Bangladesh, 6-7 sp. of Vanda grow naturally of which Vanda terret is better. But some gardens of Bangladesh cultivate exotic Vanda. It is commercially cultivated in Thailand and Singapore. Its flowers may be white, pink, blue, violet, yellow, brown etc. It blooms almost all the year round but more in spring and summer. Its flowers remain fresh about 3 months on plants. This genus possesses 70 sp.


 Ascocenda:
 It blooms twice in a year and its flowers remain fresh for more than 1 month. It is demandable all over the world as a cut- flower. Its flowers may be red, orange, yellow, white, pink, violet or with stripes of various colors.

 Brassavola:
 Its leaves are long and pointed and flowers are very nice. The flower is white. It blooms more in summer and rainy season but it may bloom all the year round if it is managed properly and liquid fertilizer is applied. It spreads luscious scent at night, for this reason, it is called “Lady of the night”.

Mokara:
It starts flowering when it is 18-20 months old. Its flowers may be of various colors and with stripes or dots. It requires regular watering and fertilizing to produce flowers.

Paphiopedilum:
It looks like slippers of lady, so it is named as “Lady’s slipper”. Its flowers contain stripes and dots which make them more attractive. Leaves of it are also nice. Flowers remain fresh for about one month on plants. Its flowers may be of green, red, yellow, pink, reddish, blackish etc. There are 60 sp. of “Lady’s slipper” orchids in the world.
    There are also some orchids which are found in Bangladesh. These are:
·     Arathera sp.
·     Bokthara sp.
·     Dendrobium ( borana green)
·     Eridis sp.
·     Miltonia sp.
·     Paphiopedilum sp.
·     Hoya sp.  etc.
2.3. Background and history of orchids
The orchid family is not only the largest but also one of the most diverse plant flowering families in the world. The orchid was one of the first plants to evolve on the earth; it was around in the time of the dinosaur, over 120 million years ago (Anonymous, 2003). Most orchids are naturally from the jungle and orchids are found in every continent except Antarctica. Some countries have some species of orchids as their indigenous species as in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, America, Australia, New-Zealand and Bangkok (Kabir, 2007).
2.4. Physiological Description of Orchids
Orchids can be easily identified by its leaves, stems and roots, flowers, fruits and seeds. Description about Orchids leaves, stems and roots, flowers, fruits and seeds are given below:
Leaves
Orchids generally have simple leaves with parallel veins. They may be ovate, lanceolate or orbiculate and very variable in size. They are normally alternate on the stem. The structure of the leaves corresponds to the specific habitat of the plant. Species, which grow in sunlight or in site that can be occasionally dry, have thick, leathery leaves. On the contrary, species grows in shade, have long, thin leaves. The leaves of most orchids are perennial and in some orchids they are considered as ornamental (Royer, 2003).
                                                      Figure-1: Leaves of an orchid
Stems and roots
Roots are slightly better here - only the ends are dead.C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\My Pictures\New Folder\DSC06240.JPGAll orchids are perennial herbs and lack any permanent woody structure. Terrestrial orchids may be rhizomatous or form tubers. The root caps of terrestrial are smooth and white. Epiphytic orchids have modified aerial roots that can sometimes be a few meters long (Amin et al, 2004)







                                                     Figure-2: Orchid roots
Flowers
Orchidaceae are well known for the many structural variations in their flowers. Orchid flowers are beautiful and come in all shapes, sizes and brilliant colors. They have two whorls of sterile elements. The outer whorl has three sepals and the inner whorl has three petals (Royer, 2003).
Oncidium Orchid flower with lip, sepals, and petals labeled

  


                             

                                                Figure-3: Orchid flower
Pollination
One of the ways in which the orchid is so diverse is its ability to reproduce. Some orchids rely on flying insects, others rely on crawling insects and finally there are orchids that rely on the wind for pollination (Sinha, 2004). Pollinators are often visually attracted by the shape and color of orchid flowers. The flowers may also produce attractive odor. On the other hand, some orchids mainly or totally rely on self-pollination, especially in colder regions where pollinators are particularly rare (Sinha, 2004). After pollination, the sepals and petals fade and wilt but they usually remain attached to the ovary (Sinha, 2004).
Fruits and seeds
The ovary typically develops into a capsule. The ripening of a capsule can take 2 to 18 months. The seeds are generally almost microscopic and very numerous, in some species over a million per capsule. After ripening they blow off like dust particles or spores (Alam, 2002).
2.5. Orchid cultivation process
The cultivation process or techniques can be discussed under following headings-
a. Required materials:
1.     Pot
2.     Well burnt coal of wood
I:\Lubna\orchids asia-orchid growing media_files\100_6086.jpg
3.     Broken part of tub
4.     Burnt bricks
5.     Broken bricks
6.     Small parts of wood
7.     Pebble stone                                                           
8.     Coir                                                                      
9.     Spray                                                              
10. Thin wire to hang etc. (Kabir, 2007)                         
                                                                                    Figure-4: Coir
In Bangladesh, coal of wood, burnt brick and coir are best for orchid plantation.

b. Types of pots:
* Earthen pots-   these are light in weight and contain pores at bottom and sides of the pots. In these pots plants remain cool.

I:\Leema Tree Fair\DSC06435.JPG
                                                       Figure-5: Earthen pots


I:\Leema Tree Fair\DSC06411.JPG* Plastic pots-   they contain pores at the bottom and sides of pots. These pots are very light in weight.





                                                                         

                                                       Figure-6: Plastic pots
*Wooden or bamboo baskets- they are not heavy; air and water can move through these easily. But they may be damaged early because of regular watering.

I:\Lubna\orchids asia-orchid growing pots and systems_files\100_2069.jpg        I:\Lubna\orchids asia-orchid growing pots and systems_files\100_2066.jpg
                                  Figure-7: Basket made of wood and bamboo

*Thumb nails pots-   they are best for small plants that are produced through tissue culture.

I:\Lubna\orchids asia-orchid growing pots and systems_files\100_6087.jpg
  Figure-8: Thumb nails pots

 c. How to plant
1.      Orchid plants should be bought which are looking fresh and obviously of good quality.
2.      Then pots should be bought according to the size of the plants.
3.      Orchid plants should be set in the porous pots and coir, coal of wood, burnt bricks and broken bricks should be put around the base of the plants. It should be done in such a way that the plants can’t move but air can blow.
4.      Pots should be hung about 6 feet high through thin wire.
5.      All orchid pots should be labeled indicating their names, origin, color of flowers etc.
6.      Shade is must for orchid plants which may be made of net or thin fence of bamboos.
7.      Orchid should be planted in such places where air can blow from east to west.
8.      Orchids require sunlight, otherwise they can’t produce flower but not direct sunlight. They prefer dappled shade.
9.      Under the pots of orchids, fern can be planted or reservoir can be established to maintain required humidity artificially.
10.  In sunny days, water should be sprayed 2-3 times on leaves and bases of the plants but never on flowers.
11.  Cultivator should be careful that orchids are not being over-watered and are not making a water-logged condition.
      2-3 times liquid fertilizer should be applied per month for better growth. Pesticides   should be sprayed after every 2-3 months to protect pests. (Kabir, 2007)

d. How to care:
·        Orchids should not be kept under direct sunlight.
·        Which type of orchid is favorable for cultivator’s surrounding environment that should be planted.
·        They should not be kept under air conditioned room.
·        Orchids should not be moved from their position while they are bearing flower-buds. Because flower-buds don’t like any movement. After completion of flowering, they can be moved.
·        Fertilizer and water should never be sprayed on flower-buds or flowers
·        Water should never be applied at night, because it is the main cause of fungal attack in orchids.
·        Water should not be stayed around the roots; it should be drained out. (Kabir, 2007).
2.6. Orchid preferences
Orchid care is much more an art than a science. Orchids are very easy to care if one takes notice of each orchid’s preferences which include:
Air movement
The more air movement there is, the happier and healthier the orchids will be. Orchids should be placed such places where the foliage actually rustles gently in the breeze. Air movement helps to keep leaves cool (reducing the chance of leaf burn) and also reduces the incidence of bacterial and fungal attack (Anonymous, 2003).
Watering
Orchids require 2 times watering in summer and once in winter per day. They prefer rain water. Their roots which are thinner like thread require more water. On the other hand, whose leaves and roots are thick requires less amount of water. In winter, plats should be watered in such a way that they become dry before the evening. Otherwise, orchids may be attacked by fungal or bacterial disease (Razzak, 2000)
Light
Orchids should not be placed directly into bright sun-light; otherwise there would be a risk of burning leaves. They require light for about 6 hours. They prefer dappled shade. It can be provided by net or bamboo fence. On the other hand, if orchids don’t get 50-60% light, they      won’t give flower (Amin, 2004).

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\My Pictures\New Folder\DSC06268.JPGC:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\My Pictures\New Folder\DSC06332.JPG
Figure-9: (a) Shade in Wonderland Toys garden in Gazipur by net (b) Shade in BRAC orchid garden in Gazipur by net
Pesticide
In Bangladesh, orchids are rarely attacked by fungus, bacteria, virus, ant, spider or other pests. To protect orchids against these following preventive measures should be taken-
·       Plants should be watered in such a way that water won’t stay in tub or basket and will dry before evening.
·       To maintain ecological balance or to protect environmental pollution, detergent powder can be used instead of pesticides. It will repel spider and ants.
If orchids are attacked, then injured leaves should be cut down or the plant should be burnt. Now-a-days some pesticides are also available nurseries and shops. These are- 
1.      Redomil
2.      Dithane-M 46
3.      Macupray
4.      Cupravit
5.      Bavistin
Procedures of application, required quantity and others necessary information are labeled on the pack.
Humidity
Orchids prefer 50-70% humidity for their growth. This is best achieved by applying humidity tray or a tray filling with rocks and water underneath and near the orchid plants. To maintain required humidity, orchids may be planted near water sources. A cheap but effective way of introducing humidity is by hand- sprayer. (Anonymous, 2005)

Orchid Humidity Tray
                                                    Figure-10: Humidity tray
Temperature
18-28°c temperature is optimum temperature for orchid plants (Razzak, 2000).

Fertilizing
To develop the growth of orchid plants, following liquid fertilizers should be applied-
·     Miracle grow
10-10-10
·       Flowering food
19-31-17
·       Plant food
10-15-10
·       Micro nutrients
Micro nutrients should be applied as 0.2% concentration in summer (2gm in 1 liter of water) and 0.1% concentration in winter (1gm in 1 liter of water). It should be provided once in a week after watering (Razzak, 2000). For growth of small orchid plant, the liquid fertilizer (Miracle grow 10-10-10) made of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (NPK) should be applied as certain amount (Kabir, 2007). For medium sized orchid plants, “Growing orchid food” and “Flowering food” should be applied once by turns in a month (Kabir, 2007). To bloom large flowers, liquid fertilizer “Flowering food” should be sprayed 2-3 times per month (Kabir, 2007). Fertilizers never should be applied on flowers; these should be sprayed only on leaves and roots (Chakraborti, 1986).
A mixture of Urea and water (Urea : Water = 100gm : 15 L) can also be sprayed once per week (Manik, 2009).
Re-potting
Orchids may need re-potting for a number of reasons: the materials in which they grow may be old and it may begin to decompose or it may have been over watered and therefore become water-logged (Anonymous, 2003). Ideally re-potting should happen in January or before the rainy season. But if orchid requires re-potting, the period of the year shouldn’t prevent the cultivator from doing so. Orchids should be re-potted for every 1-2 years. After re-potting, the plants should be kept in a shady place for 1-2 weeks. Then they must be labeled indicating the name, color, origin etc. of orchids (Iqbal, 2009).
   
     Table: 1.Species wise requirements
             Phalaenopsis
Dendrobium
Oncidium
Cymbidium
Cattleya
Light

Bright light, never direct sun-light.70-85% shade.
Strong indirect light. 25-50% shade while growing and 50-75% while plant is resting.
Bright indirect sun. 20-60% shade.
Bright indirect sun. 25-50% shade.
Strong but not direct sun. 50-70% shade.
Temp.

70-90 F. days
60-65F. nights.
65-95F. days
45-60F. nights.
85F.days 60 F.     nights.
70-85F. days 55 F. nights.
70-85 F. days 55-60 F. nights.
Water

Do not let dry out. Drainage is important.
Water more often during the growing cycle. Water less when plants are resting (winter).
Frequent when active. Less during winter months.
Keep moist in summer. Somewhat dry between watering in winter.
Allow to dry between watering.
Food
Fertilize at least twice per month.
Fertilize at least twice per month.
Fertilize at least twice per month.
Fertilize at least twice per month.
Fertilize at least twice per month.
Source: Kabir, 2007, Orchid.




 2.7. Orchid society in Bangladesh
 All countries of the world growing orchid must have an orchid society to share information with others. To make the orchids well-known to all, a society was also established on 2nd October, 1989 at Dhaka in Bangladesh by the assistance of National Museum of Science and Technology, named “Orchid Society of Bangladesh”. Nasim Iqbal Ali is its president.
Activities of this society
1.       It arranges an orchid show every year at September to make orchids familiar and popular.
2.       It informs about how to plant and how to take care of orchids.
3.       It solves the problems that are facing orchid cultivators.
4.       It tries to improve the qualities of orchids through various experiments and researches and through invention of new hybrids.
5.      It deals with how orchids can be exported from Bangladesh.
2.8. Use of orchids
1.       One orchid genus, Vanilla, is commercially important. Because its essence is used as foodstuff flavoring in coca-cola, ice-cream, cake etc.
2.       The scent of orchids is analyzed by perfumists to identify potential fragrance chemicals.
3.       In the Indian sub-continent, orchids are being used from ancient period to produce medicine for herbal treatment. (Ming, 2003).
4.       Bangkok makes ornaments using the design of orchid flower.
5.       Candle is also made using the design of orchid flowers.
6.       Essence of orchid is used in soap manufacturing, like, Lux (orchid touch).
7.       The other important use of orchids is their cultivation for the enjoyment of flowers. Orchidaceae family provides a large number of orchid flowers of various colors, shapes, sizes with luscious scent. Singapore, Bangkok, Japan, Malaysia is earning a lot of foreign currency by exporting orchids. Buyers now bid hundreds of dollars on new hybrids or improved ones, as orchids are being one of the most popular cut-flowers of the world market.


     
Materials & Methods

                              





CHAPTER THREE: MATERIALS AND METHODS












    


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                        Figure-11: Map of the study site

3.1. Description of the study site
3.1.1. Location
Orchid garden of BRAC is at Joydebpur in Gazipur district and the orchid garden of Wonderland Toys is at Vovanipur in Gazipur district.
Gajipur district is under the division of Dhaka. Its total area is 1741.53 sq. km., is bounded by Mymensingh and Kishoreganj districts on the north, Dhaka, Narayanganj and Narshingdi districts on the south, Narsingdi on the east, Dhaka and Tangail districts on the west. (Banglapedia, 2003).

3.1.2. Climate and topography
The study sites are plain land. Soil is slightly reddish. Annual average temperature is maximum 36c and minimum 12.7c; annual rainfall is 2376 mm. (Banglapedia, 2003).

3.2. Methods
Three NGOs are working with orchids in Bangladesh are BRAC, Wonderland Toys and Proshika. Among them BRAC and Wonderland Toys were selected purposively for communication facilities. The sampling intensity was 66.67%. The study was carried out within a time span of three months ranging from April, 2009 to June 2009.






3.2.1. Data collection
3.2.1.1. Primary data collection
During the field survey, primary data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and through personal observation and face to face interviews of manager, staffs, labors of those gardens and of different nursery owner’s and of the president of the “Orchid Society in Bangladesh”.

3.2.1.2. Secondary data collection
Available information, map, figures etc. were collected from internet, various literatures and journals.

3.2.2. Data analysis
After accumulating numerous data and information, they are represented as texts, tables, and pictures for the purpose of convenience and better presentation.









Result & Discussion



                             CHAPTER FOUR: RESULT AND DISCUSSION

4.1. Cultivation Techniques of Orchids in Wonderland Toys
They started orchid cultivation since 2004 at Rajendrapur in gazipur on 4 bighas land. Later, in 2007, they have replaced their garden at Vovanipur in Gazipur on 6 bighas land. They plant Dendrobium, Cattleya and Mokara for flowers.
  • At first plants were collected from Thailand and an expert were also hired for 3 years from there. He taught other staffs of the garden cultivation and management techniques of orchid plants.
  • Pot – they don’t use any pot.
  • Material (planting media) – they use only coir.
  • Light – they provide indirect sun-light to their plants and make shade by net.
  • Watering – electricity is not available there, so they use diesel engine to collect water. In summer, they spray water twice and in winter once. In the rainy season, when it is frequently raining, need not watering.
                           Figure-12: Orchid garden under Wonderland Toys
  • Fertilizing – they use fertilizers exported from Thailand (Miracle grow 10-10-10, Flowering food 19-31-17 and Plant food 10-15-10) and a mixture of Urea and water (Urea : Water = 100 gm : 15 L). This mixture is applied once per week.
  • Re-potting- no re-potting is done. Coir may be changed if required.
  • Pesticide- no pesticide is used as pest attack is very rare.
  • Product that is sold – flower. They have 400000-5000000 orchid plants. They supply flowers of those plants to Dhaka. Then  these flowers spread all over the country (Manik, 2009)
4.2. Economics of Orchids in Wonderland Toys
  • The orchid garden of Wonderland Toys has 400000-500000 orchid plants. They pluck more flowers during March –August (6 months) of the year and fewer flowers during September – February (next 6 months).  In flower shops a stick of flower is sold 12-20 tk. And the low graded stick at 8 tk. Wonderland Toys is a whole-seller and sells orchid flower 6 tk. per stick (Manik, 2009).
 The cost- benefit ratio for this garden is shown:

A.   Average production cost
Labor of the garden = 15
Lack of electricity, diesel engine is used there to supply water.  So, they have to incur the cost of diesel.




Table: 2. Average production cost
component
Range of cost per month in
(Taka, Bangladeshi currency)
Average cost per month in
(Taka, Bangladeshi currency)

Salary of labors
3000-5000
4000

diesel
1200-1400
1300

Fertilizers and others
2000-3000
2500


Total salary of labors (15) = (4000 x 15) tk.
                                          = 60000 tk.
So, average cost per month = (60000 + 1300 + 2500) = 63800 tk.

B.   Average income
Table: 3. Average income
Component

During March- August
During September- February
No. of flowers per week

10000-12000
6000-8000
Price of flowers per week
in tk. 
60000-72000
36000-48000
Average price per week in tk.  (P1)

66000
42000
Average price per month in tk. (P2 = P1x 4)

264000
168000
Average price for 6 months in tk. (P3 = P2 x 6)

1584000
1008000


So, average income in 1 year = (1584000 + 1008000) tk. = 2592000tk.
Average income per month = (2592000 / 12) tk. =216000tk.
Benefit per month = (avg. income avg. cost) = (216000 – 63800) tk.
                                                                           =152200tk.
Benefit-Cost ratio = 152200 / 63800 = 2.39. So, the business of orchid flower is extremely profitable. Wonderland Toys can earn 2.39 tk. by investing 1tk. from orchid flower garden.
 But there is no electricity supply at the village Pingail in Vovanipur where the garden is established. As a result they are using diesel engine to supply water. Transportation system is not well. The garden is about 5 miles away from the Vovanipur town and the road is made of earth which becomes muddy in the rainy season. 
                        Figure-13: Front side of orchid garden of Wonderland Toys




4.3. Marketing channel for orchids of Wonderland Toys
In Wonderland Toys, two marketing chains were found, i.e. orchid garden Þ whole-seller Þ retailer  Þ consumer/ buyer and orchid garden Þ whole-seller Þ consumer/ buyer. The overall marketing channels are given below:











Consumer/ Buyer
 

Orchid garden
 







 




Figure-14: Marketing channel for orchid flowers of Wonderland Toys

4.4. Cultivation Techniques of Orchids in BRAC
BRAC started orchid cultivation since 1998 at Joydebpur in Gazipur on about 2 bighas land. They are cultivating mainly: Dendrobium, Cattleya and Cymbidium. This orchid garden is under the control of BRAC Agricultural Research and Development Center, Gazipur.
·        At first they collected some orchid plants from Thailand and Malaysia. Later they are producing a lot of plants from those through micro-propagation process in their tissue culture laboratory (Akhter, 2009). Plants producing through tissue culture are disease free and of same quality, size and nature.
·        Pot – they use earthen pots and plastic pots.
·        Material (planting media) – coir and coal of wood.
·        Light – they provide orchid plants indirect sun-light and 50% shade using nets.
·        Watering – in summer, twice (morning and afternoon); in winter, once only in the morning.


                                 Figure-15: Orchid garden under BRAC
·        Fertilizing – Miracle grow 10-10-10, Flowering food19-31-17, Plant food 10-15-10 and micro-nutrients 0.2% concentration in summer and 0.1% concentration in winter.
·        Re-potting – no re-potting is done.
·        Pesticide – attack by pest is very rare, so pesticide is not needed.
·        Product that is sold – orchid plants. Nursery owners of various parts of the country (i.e. Sylhet, Chittagong, Mymensingh, Gazipur, Savar, Rangpur etc.) buy orchid plants from this garden. Individual buyer or consumer also can buy orchid plants from here (Akhter, 2009).

4.5. Economics of Orchids in BRAC
They sell orchid plants of various sizes. The price of these plants varies with their sizes (Akhter, 2009). The cost and benefit of this garden is shown here:


A.   Average production cost
Labor of the garden =10
Table: 4. Average production cost
Component

Range of cost per month
(Taka, Bangladeshi currency)
Average cost per month (Taka, Bangladeshi currency)

Salary of labors

4000-5000
4500
Fertilizers and medicine

1000-2000
1500
Others

3000-4000
3500

Total salary of labors (10) =(4500 x 10 ) tk.= 45000 tk.
Average cost per month = (45000 + 1500 + 3500) tk. =50000tk.
B.   Average income
Table: 5. Average income
Name of genus

Price range (TK)
Average price (TK)
No. of plants sold in a year
Total income per year in tk.
Dendrobium
100-200
100

3000
300000
Cattleya
100-500
200

7000
1400000
Cymbidium
100-300
100

2000
200000




Total income in a year = (300000 + 1400000 + 200000) tk. = 1900000 tk.
Average income per month = 1900000 /12 = 158333.33tk.
Benefit = (158333.33 – 50000) tk. per month. =108333.33tk. per month.
Benefit – Cost ratio = 108333.33 /50000 = 2.17
So the business of orchid plants is also profitable. BRAC is earning 2.17 tk. by investing 1 tk. per month from business of orchid plants.

4.6. Marketing channel for orchids of BRAC
In BRAC two marketing chain was found i. e. Orchid garden Þ Nursery Þ Buyers / consumers and Orchid garden Þ Buyers / Consumers. The overall marketing channels are given below:

Buyers / consumers
 
Nursery
 
Orchid garden
 
                                                                  
  


Buyers / Consumers
 
 



    Figure-16: Marketing Channel for orchid plants of BRAC





4.7. Discussion
Orchid grows more slowly with less light and cooler temperature. It prefers warm position and humidity. So in cooler regions, green-house is made for orchid cultivation. On the contrary, the environment of Bangladesh is so favorable that needs not any such measure. Other orchid growing countries of the world are using pesticides to protect their plants from attacks of various pests and disease. But in Bangladesh, disease and attack of pests to orchid plants is so rare that normally pesticides are not used. Orchid garden of BRAC uses coal of wood but no pesticide.
Some countries like, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia etc. are earning a lots of foreign currency by exporting orchids. At present, Thailand is at the first position in exporting orchids. It is earning 60 million dollars by exporting orchids. Now, orchid cultivation is considered as a cottage industry in Sri-Lanka (Islam, 1985). The professor of botany department of Dhaka University, Ahammed Samsul Islam, edited a book in 1985. There it was mentioned that it has been proved in the laboratory of botany dept. in Dhaka University that it is possible to cultivate orchids commercially in a large scale in Bangladesh through tissue culture and it can be exported (Islam, 1985). Recently Export Development Bureau is showing interest to export orchid; they have discussed with the Orchid Society of Bangladesh. Orchid experts had come to talk with the society and cultivators and to observe the present status of orchids in Bangladesh. They are more interested about our indigenous orchids. But almost all of our orchids bloom only once in a year. It means after exporting one production, we have to wait a long time for the next production. (Iqbal, 2009). It’s a great barrier in exporting orchids. 








                                                                                       Conclusion  & Recommendation


CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Conclusion and Recommendation

Orchid is a unique plant and its cultivation and management technique is different from other plants. But it is very easy to care if cultivators understand more about orchid’s preference. Once, orchid plantation was a hobby of rich people. But now through tissue culture, orchids of huge quantity and variety are being produced. As a result, orchids have come to the reach of general people. Some orchids take 18-22 months to bloom; whereas other flowering plants may take little time. Sometimes it makes cultivators impatience and they loss their interest from it. But when orchids start blooming, it may bloom several times in a year and some sp. may bloom all the year round. Orchid cultivation is a great promising sector. But due to some problems, this sector is not being able to precede much. The following measures can be adopted to overcome this condition:
·       Help of media can be taken to encourage people for cultivating orchids by high-lighting its prospects. Seminar and meeting can be arranged for its publicity.
·       Research should be continued to invent hybrids of better quality. Technology related to this sector should be developed.
·       Sufficient training program should be arranged for better management of orchids.
·       Roads should be constructed and repaired to improve transportation system.
·       Electricity should be available. Otherwise, water supply of orchid gardens would be hampered and ultimately it will affect orchid plants.
·       Government should pay attention on this sector, as it has a prospect to solve unemployment problem and to earn foreign currency.






 REFERENCES

·        Akhter S., 2009, personal communication, program organizer of BRAC Agricultural Research and Development Center, Joydebpur, Gazipur, Bangladesh.
·        Alam M.K., Rashid M.H., Hossain M.S., Salam M.A., And Rouf M.A., 2002, In-vitro propagation of Dendrobium orchids as influenced by different media, vol-1, and no.-2-4: 111-115, Asian Network for scientific information, 2002.
·        Amin M.M.U., Mollah M.S., Tania S.A., Ahmad M. R. and Khan F.N., 2004, Performance study of six indigenous epiphytic monopodial orchids of Bangladesh, vol-4(2): 87-89, Journal of Biological Science.
·        Anonymous, 2003, Orchid tips, viewed 7th June, 2009, <http:// www. imagine123.com /orchidtips/easy.html>
·        Anonymous, 2003, what’s new on orchid tips, viewed 21st May, 2009, < http:// www. imagine 123.com/ orchidtips/formmail_orchid_tips.html>
·        Anonymous, 2005, Orchid care techniques, viewed 7th June, 2009, < http:// www. Orchidcareexpert. com. html>
·        Anonymous, 2007, Orchid growing pots, growing system, viewed 21st May,2009, < http://www.orchidsasia.com/ orchidpots.html>
·        Chakraborty, K, 2008, Two orchids from Assam, assam.  
·        Chakraborti, S, 1986, Rokomary phool chash, Nirmol book agency, 89, Mohatma Gandhi road, Kolkata- 700 007.
·        Dey, T, K, 2006, Bangladesher proyojonio gach-gachra, the add communication, 385,   Andarkilla, Chittagong- 4000.
·        Kabir, T, 2007, Orchid, 2nd edition, Shilpa Taru prokashani, 27/ 10, Tajmahal road, block-c, Muhammadpur, Dhaka- 1207.
·        Manik M., 2009, personal communication, Marketing Manager of Wonderland Toys, Vovanipur, Gazipur.
·        Ming K. J., Khang G. N., Sai C.L. & FattC.T., 2003, Recent advance in traditional plant drugs & orchids, Acta Pharmacol. Sin.
·        Razzak A., 2009, personal communication, General Manager of BRAC Agricultural Research and Development Center, Joydebpur, Gazipur, Bangladesh.
·        Royer S.J (ed.), 2003, An Orchid Handbook, Michiana Orchid Society, 2003.
·        Sinha P. and Roy S.K., 2004, Regeneration of an indigenous orchid Vanda ters, Plant Tissue Cult. 14(1): 55-61, 2004.
·        Islam S. (ed.), 2003, Banglapedia, National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh, vol-4, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Nimtola, Dhaka-1000.


















APPENDIX

Photographs of some orchids:
                                                                            
                                    
                               Figure: Vanda                                                              Figure: Dendrobium           
                      
             Figure: Paphiopedilum                                                      Figure: Cymbidium                                                                                          


                
                    Figure: Wild orchid                                             Figure: Arnada
                                                                                    

                  
                   Figure: Phalaenopsis                                       Figure: Cattleya





                     Figure: Orchid garden of BRAC at Joydebpur, Gazipur.

                         Figure: Orchid garden of Wonderland Toys at Vovanipur, Gazipur.