Flower Clock Concept · evidence programme

Gadkhali–Jhikargacha · Jashore

FRiO

The proposed study will measure where flowers lose quality and value between harvest and buyer acceptance, before cold-chain equipment is selected.

Follow the six handoffs

Context image · Jhikargacha, Jashore · Muhammad Amdad Hossain / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Why Jashore · why measure first

We know where to look. Losses are unmeasured

Jashore dominates recorded flower production. The proposed study will measure changes in condition, time and value along the Gadkhali route.

Load: What volume moves, when, and in what mix?
Time: Where does condition begin to change?
Control: Which handling or treatment preserves acceptance?
Existing capacity: What can already serve the route?

Reported market pattern · not project evidence2025 reporting describes growers arriving before dawn and early-morning wholesale trade, with activity through around 9am. FRiO will measure route times directly.

Flowers · recorded district productionBangladesh · 64 districts

92.7%of recorded 64-district flower production

Production share92.7%

Area share47.5%

33,341 trecorded Jashore production

588 harecorded Jashore flower area

Production share and area share are separate measures. No yield claim is made.

BBS Yearbook of Agricultural Statistics 2025 · 2024–25 district flower components.

Open Flowers in Crop Intelligence

Harvest to buyer acceptance

Six handoffs, one clock

A handoff is a transfer between growers, handlers, transporters or buyers. Follow the same load through six stages to see what the study records and which decisions those records support.

Hours not yet measured

01/ 06

01 · Harvest window

Starting condition and harvest time

Record species, maturity, condition and harvest timing.

Record

Species, maturity, starting temperature, stem condition and harvest time

Why it matters

Define the acceptable starting condition.

Risk if unmeasured: Over-maturity, field heat, water stress and mixed quality

Test: Harvest window, shade, clean cutting and immediate handling
Existing capacity to check: Cutting tools, shade, clean water and field handling practices

The six handoffs

01 · Harvest
Record: Species, maturity, starting temperature, stem condition and harvest time
Why it matters: Define the acceptable starting condition.
02 · Handle
Record: Handling time, grade, hydration record, visible damage and condition change
Why it matters: Select the first handling control.
03 · Treat
Record: Treatment method, temperature curve, duration, condition and energy use
Why it matters: Test whether added treatment preserves buyer acceptance.
04 · Hold
Record: Dwell time, holding condition, stock record and condition at release
Why it matters: Establish the commercially viable holding interval.
05 · Dispatch
Record: Departure time, route duration, temperature, handling events and arrival state
Why it matters: Confirm route time, logistics cost and required movement control.
06 · Accept
Record: Accepted stems, rejected stems, reasons, price, deductions and payment timing
Why it matters: Invest, retest or stop based on buyer response and unit economics.

Proposed measurement programme

Repeat the clock across demand periods

Repeat runs until condition and buyer responses are consistent. Each run keeps one record per load, filled in at each of the six handoffs.

01Harvest02Handle03Treat04Hold05Dispatch06Accept

01 HarvestStarting at harvest

Flower type, maturity, quantity, harvest time and starting condition.

02 Handle · 03 TreatWhat changed before dispatch

Grading, hydration, shade, packing, treatment and time spent at each step.

04 Hold · 05 DispatchHow long it waited and moved

Holding time, temperature, loading, journey time and transfer events.

06 AcceptWhat the buyer accepted and paid

Accepted and rejected stems, reason, price, deductions and settlement time.

Proposed repeated study design

Product + market mix

Test more than one flower type across different demand periods.

Load + movement states

Record smaller, typical and peak movement once field volumes establish the classes.

Current + controlled movement

Compare current practice with handling-led and, where justified, active treatment.

Buyer closure

Join acceptance, rejection, price and settlement to each route record.

Commission the evidence programme

What the study must establish

Four workstreams, each ending in one deliverable. Cost shares follow after sites, repeat runs and measurement needs are confirmed.

Workstream	Scope	Delivers	Handoffs
01 · Corridor measurement	Repeated harvest-to-buyer runs across demand periods	Flower Clock record: harvest through buyer acceptance measured as one commercial journey	01–06
02 · Handling + treatment	Current practice, handling-led control and justified treatment trials	Comparison of handling-led and treatment controls, recorded on the same loads	02 Handle · 03 Treat · 04 Hold
03 · Buyer + unit economics	Acceptance, rejection, price and cost per accepted stem	Buyer acceptance dataset: condition, rejection, price, deductions and settlement joined to route time	06 Accept
04 · Asset audit + mandate	Use what works before specifying new capital	Existing capacity audit and the investment decision: only the infrastructure the evidence supports	Capacity at every handoff

Evidence notes

Sources and evidence limits

District evidence: Jashore records 33,340.68 tonnes of flower production and 587.668302 hectares of flower area in the 2024–25 district flower components. Public display rounds these to 33,341 t and 588 ha. Jashore accounts for 92.7% of recorded district production and 47.5% of recorded district flower area. No yield claim is made.
Reported sector context: 2025 reporting places core Gadkhali and nearby cultivation at roughly 637 to 650 hectares, depending on source and geography. These reports provide context rather than FRiO project evidence.
Market timing: 2025 reporting describes growers arriving before dawn and early-morning wholesale trade, with activity through around 9am. FRiO must measure route times directly.
Existing assets: Government and sector records refer to a Godkhali Flower Market Centre Complex, collection infrastructure and cold-storage capacity. FRiO will verify function, access and route fit.
Technical precedent: A 2025 open-access BAU trial reported a two-ton hybrid horticultural cooler operating near 10.2°C and averaging about 6.79 kWh per day during the trial. It tested fruits and vegetables and does not provide FRiO design assumptions.
Status: Concept · evidence programme. Elapsed hours at each handoff are not yet measured; they are the output of the corridor study.

Cultivera Crop Intelligence · governed BBS flower components The Daily Star · growers, area and market pressure UNB · reported sector context TBS · early-market conditions LGED · market-centre record BAU HortiCool study WUR · cut-flower chain

The decision

No proof, no new equipment

Commission repeated Flower Clock measurements. Add permanent equipment only if buyer response and operating costs justify it.

01 · Use what works

Handling-led

Prioritise existing assets and operating controls when they preserve route condition.

02 · Test added control

Treatment or capacity

Test treatment or corridor capacity only where buyer acceptance and unit economics improve enough to justify the added cost.

03 · Stop capital

No build yet

Do not specify permanent equipment when repeated buyer response and unit economics do not support it.

Current askCommission the repeated Flower Clock measurement study.Funding for permanent cold-chain infrastructure is not currently sought.

Discuss the study