The total area of Dammar piazza is 307. Km. [1] It has 57,297 units of households. The Piazza consists of one Prosperous” (Municipality), 16 unions and 398 villages. Due to its proximity to Dacha and Saver the population of Dammar has a wide range of occupational diversity starting from farmers to, garments workers, remittance earners, government service agents, and even some business men. Fig: Location of Admiral upscale In Dacha 1. 2 THE VILLAGE OF DIMINISH The village is Diminish is under the Choctaw union which is a part of the Dammar piazza.
The Choctaw Piazza is at the extreme north of Dammar. The village is about km from Dacha and has an area of about 500 acres, most of which is used for agricultural purposes. The village has a population of 8537 according to the population census conducted in 2011. The name “Diminish” can be broken down to “did-” and “-much: which in Bengali means “two heads” or “two mouths”. Many people say the name dates back to the times when it acted as a resting place for travelers from Tong on their way to Dacha. Others say the name suggests that the people of the village love to eat.
Due to the good quality of Its soil the village has always been an agricultural community. Although majority of the residents were previously farmers due to workforce. Around 25% of the workforce is remittance workers. A further 25% in involved in government services while the rest are involved in small businesses, fish farming or other varied Jobs. The tendency seems to be shifting from government services and farming to being remittance workers or businessmen. While the men are the main earning head of the family only a very small portion of the women are involved in economic activities.
In recent years the farming community has shifted their focus from the production of rice and Jute to other things. The latest addition to the portfolio of the farmers is the production of flowers. Due to its proximity to Dacha and availability of a good transport route the farmers are chose to produce a wide range of flowers for their third crop of the year. As they have begun to see that flowers give more profit than regular crops now more and more farmers are shifting to production of flowers like Organization (tuber rose), Rose, Marigold and Gladiolus for commercial purposes. Fig: Map of Dammar Piazza 2.
Business idea The production of flowers is relatively a new avenue for most farmers and hence here is no proper channel for transporting and marketing these flowers. My business proposition is aimed setting up a reliable supply channel for the flower farmers. Setting up a separate transport system should not only help reduce their uncertainty and encourage them to become more involved in flower production. The farmers work on a co-operative basis to determine which field to harvest and then transport the flowers mainly to Shabby, Dacha and a few other surrounding areas.
Although there is an availability of a good transport system the major problem faced y farmers in this area is finding adequate transport at the right time. As most of the available trucks and vans are used to transport rice, Jute or vegetables the flower farmers face a constant threat of not being able to find transport for their produce. Often due to this uncertainty they have to pay a premium price so they can book the trucks which considerably raise the cost of transport. In addition there always exists the en route “tolls” and “Chad”s that need to be paid.
The trucks are under the control of the middlemen who ask for exorbitant prices for even the smallest of deliveries. The smaller the delivery the higher the premium that needs to be paid. The business will comprise of two small trucks with a capacity of keg each. Considering the scale of the business the trucks will be leased on contracts from trucking companies for a 6 month period. The base of operations will be situated at my paternal grandfathers’ estate, in a small building adjacent to the house, which is currently being built for storage and other purposes.
The office will have 2 employees for handling the day to day businesses. There will also be an accountant based in Dacha for handling the financial. . 2 CURRENT SCENARIO The flower industry in Bangladesh shows a fast paced growth. In order to meet this flowers, not to mention the higher margin for profit. About 5% of the total available land in Diminish, which is almost 20 bights is used to cultivate flowers presently. Around 80 families are involved in the flower business and they mostly work as a group. Support for the farmers is given by the local government.
The fields used are located close together to ensure consistency in the quality of flowers. The harvest takes about 2-3 months from the date of planting the seeds. Seeds are planted on efferent fields at different times so that there is a consistent supply year round. Each day the farmers combined harvest a small portion of the total land and the profit is shared among the group. For maximum shelf life (3-5 days if soaked in water, 5-7 hours normally) flowers should be cut early in the morning or in the evening.
As a new business it might be difficult to expand if customer base increases suddenly. If either of the trucks are notable to deliver on a particular day it might harm the reputation of the business According to the plan it is only a one way transport system as nothing is being transported back from Dacha. Opportunities: By expanding the customer base to other farmers there is a huge potential for Roth Expansion of the business will lead to requirement of more employees thereby increasing scope for employment Trucks can also be used for transporting other goods, not only flowers.
Collaboration with local business men could allow the firm to use the trucks to transport goods form the city and making use of the idle time Threats: Entering into the market is easy so competitors could come up quickly 3. Investment plan The investment will take place in two stages: the initial investment and the all the profits in the business 50% will be reinvested in the business and the rest will o to the owner, in this case me.
Initial investment Amount (BAT) Trading/ operating license Furniture 2000 Truck leasing (6 monthly) 60000 Total: 67000 Other expenses: (monthly) Employee salary 10000 Accountant salary 7000 Fuel and maintenance Office supplies 4. Marketing plan The need for an intensive marketing plan for this business is not necessary as the target base is limited. The initial stages of marketing involve a door-to-door awareness program to let the farmers know that there is such a service available to them. This should add a personal touch to gain the confidence of the farmers.
Also here will be “mining” done in the area so that the farmers and potential customers are aware of the service. As mentioned before the location of the office being on the main road is easily accessible, also the location of the grounds is on the way to the daily marketplace, and therefore known to everyone in the locality. The main medium of communication will therefore be by word of mouth. To encourage farmers of fair practices the price rate will be posted on a board inside the office. Initially discounts will be given to those who transport in greater amounts and to those who pay fully before delivery.
