Flower crops ‘sacrificed’ at the altar of COVID-19

Not exactly to propitiate the devil of corona virus but becoming definitely a reason and the main cause of full blossomed fragrant beautiful flowers to be uprooted and destroyed as due to the lockdown restrictions on account of fighting the virus, there is no demand in the market for these flowers. It is a thing to be believed that due to the unprecedented spike in demand for flowers in Jammu divisions and peripheral areas for flowers like marigold, guldaudi, roses etc, many farmers had resorted to crop changing from conventional agricultural crops to floriculture as they were making a comparatively more earning from flowers.
Demand from these flowers was so high that the supply was met with from other states which prompted many farmers to resort to growing the ‘cash crops’ of flowers. Since many industries and production houses and other business enterprises have suffered colossally due to the outbreak of the corona virus pandemic, how could flourishing floriculture in Jammu region remain unscathed. Visits of devotees to temples are not there, marriages are solicited in “simple homely” ways where no decoration, no garlanding , no boutiques are needed, no decorations in marriage halls etc have all led to hanging up their boots by the otherwise well doing farmers engaged in growing flowers. Times will hopefully again change for the better, till then let the land under flower cultivation be put to more important uses as very prudently decided by the concerned farmers.
The UT administration should look into the possibility of providing some relief to these farmers in distress.