Abu Russell Sumon, Khagrachari

In the vast area of Khagrachari's high and low hills, wherever you look, you can see the broom flower, whose national name is "Uluful".

This flower is spread on the slopes of the mountains. This flower, which grows naturally on the slopes of the mountains, is well known to the locals as broom flower or "Fuljaru". After giving only one flower from a seedling, the plant dies. But after it rains, a new plant grows from the root. The broom flower, which grows naturally on the hills without cultivation or any care, has become quite popular.

This flower is more commonly seen in the remote hills of various upazilas of Khagrachari. This naturally born broom flower looks a lot like the stalk of a 'Kashful:. These plants flower soon after the onset of winter. By December, the "broom flower" reaches its full bloom. The flowers are collected from January to March.

Already, the 'broom flower' has started to be cut from the mountains to make brooms. Collectors have started collecting these flowers from deep mountains. Local people cut 'broom flower' from the mountains and bring it to the market for sale. A bundle is made of 20-25 sticks of the flower broom. In the language of the forest department, it is called 'Bhroom'. Although the name of this flower in the local Chakma language is Charandara, in Tripura language it is Chandra, and in Marma language it is called Inheja, it is known as Fuljaru or Jharuphuul throughout the country.

Visiting various markets in Khagrachari, you can see the 'broom flowers' tied in bundles and arranged in rows on the side of the road, waiting for buyers. Many people are waiting with the 'Fuljaru' in the hope of buying them from the locals at a low price and selling them to the wholesalers at a higher profit.

A broom is tied with 20/25 pieces. The size and quality of the broom are determined and sold for 20/30 taka. This broom flower is sold for 80-100 taka depending on the hand. There are 50/100 brooms in a bundle. Each bundle is sold for 900 to 2500 taka. The price is determined according to the bundle and type.

Then the locals buy them from the market for use. Wholesale traders from Dhaka, Chittagong, Comilla, Noakhali and other big cities of the country buy the broom flower from the local markets and supply it to different markets of the country. This "broom flower" has become a source of income for the people of the area. There are flower broom shops and fields in various upazilas including Khagrachari, Panchari, Dighinala, Mahalchari, Matiranga, Guimara, Ramgarh, Manikchari, Lakshmichari. These locally built sheds and fields have been piled up with brooms.

This naturally produced mountain 'broom' is being used every day to keep houses and shops clean. Due to the huge demand, every year ``broom flowers'' are being exported across the country and to various countries including the Middle East. Many families living in the mountains are making a living by selling this natural 'broom flower'. If it were produced commercially, employment would be created for the people of the mountains. Many people believe that there is a possibility of earning a lot of foreign currency.

Haradhan, a local "broom flower" collector, told Tripura Daily Amar Bangla that every year, workers have to pay double the price to cut it from the slopes of the high and low mountains in various remote areas of the district, risking their lives. These raw flowers are brought, tied in bundles, piled up and brought to the market by truck in the morning on the day of the weekly market. Every year, we collect 30 to 40 thousand bundles of "broom flowers". Accordingly, we do not get a fair price.

Local flower broom dealer Md. Abdul Karim said, this flower could be found on the roadside in the mountains even a few years ago. Due to indiscriminate deforestation of the mountain forest resources, the naturally growing and potential "broom flowers" are decreasing day by day. We have to cross the inaccessible high and low mountain paths to cut and bring the flowers. As a result, the price is a little higher.

Sarafat Ullah, a wholesaler of broom flowers in Chittagong, told the daily Amar Bangla that for 27 years, we have been buying "broom flowers" at a wholesale price of 10 to 15 taka from low-income people living in the mountains.

Then we dry them in the sun with workers and make new broom sticks and take them to Dhaka-Comilla by truck and sell them for 40 to 60 taka. He started his first broom business in 1996. Currently, more than three hundred workers are engaged in the work of drying "broom flowers" in the sun and binding broom sticks under his supervision. I think that if government support is received, this industry can play a role in resolving the financial crisis of the self-employed and the people of the hills.

However, many traders have complained that they have to pay a fee at various places on the road to supply these flower brooms in different parts of the country. Traders have also said that if they express reluctance to pay, their vehicles and goods are seized and they have to face harassment for having illegal items in their vehicles.

According to the Forest Department, if cultivated commercially, not only will the low-income people of the hills become financially prosperous, but new employment opportunities have also been created. This flower, which is born naturally and is being used to keep people's homes clean in their daily lives, is also contributing to the country's economy. From which revenue is deposited in the government fund.