Standard Chartered to partner with KMSS to boost sustainable floriculture industry development and enhance biodiversity

Standard Chartered Bangladesh has joined hands with Khulna Mukti Seba Sangstha (KMSS) to encourage returnee migrants and community members to participate in floriculture clusters – which are groupings of farmers and agriculturalists. 

This initiative is being implemented in Jashore and will help to foster agriculture diversification and sustainability, reads a press release. 

As part of the joint initiative, the two organisations will work together to boost flower production while creating opportunities for 800 marginalised individuals. 

This project will bolster capacity development and teach 800 returnee migrants and community members about environmentally conscious flower production techniques. It will increase income generation capacity through flower shed development, post-harvest management, and forward market linkage. 

The final goal is to enhance everyone's financial management skills via comprehensive financial literacy training. Overall, the project highlights the critical role that floriculture plays in fostering crop diversification, enhancing ecosystem health, and overcoming certain climate-change related impacts. 

Naser Ezaz Bijoy, chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Bangladesh, said, "Bangladesh's agriculture sector is already undergoing the process of transformation to commercial farming through modernisation. Through this project, we hope to accelerate this journey by propagating the cultivation of high value crops such as roses, jasmine, orchids, tulips and more. By encouraging commercial farming practises and crop diversification in Jashore, a region that is already a hotbed of traditional agriculture, we hope to support returnee migrants and marginalised communities and inspire the next generation to take part and lead the transformational journey of our vital agricultural sector. We are proud to partner with KMSS to champion commercial agriculture and modern climate-resilient methodologies."

Afroza Akter Monju, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of KMSS, said, "We are thrilled to partner with Standard Chartered in this impactful collaboration, uniting our efforts to empower returnee migrants and marginalized communities through sustainable floriculture. This initiative not only blooms flowers but cultivates hope, resilience, and environmental consciousness. With the support of Standard Chartered, we aspire to contribute to a flourishing future for individual farmers as well as the community ensuring dignity and prosperity in every flower we cultivate within the growing industry of floriculture. A very special thanks to Standard Chartered for supporting this initiative."

As the nation's long-term partner in progress, Standard Chartered has consistently been linked to Bangladesh's inspiring story of growth and resilience. For more than 118 years, the Bank has remained dedicated to driving commerce and development by investing in communities; expanding the reach and scale of services to promote greater inclusion; and creating new opportunities. Standard Chartered's community engagement and sustainability initiatives focus on economic empowerment; improving access to health, education, financial literacy; supporting agricultural innovation; promoting sports, arts, and culture as drivers of positive social transformation; and combatting climate change.

Khulna Mukti Seba Sangstha (KMSS) aims to help people belonging to remote and unaddressed communities to reach their full potential. For nearly two decades, KMSS has been working to meet the needs of remote and marginalised communities across Bangladesh. KMSS is committed to helping community members in their journey to live with dignity, respect, hope, and humility. KMSS believes in furthering tangible progress, strengthening organisation, improving management processes, and building a better society.