Cultivators, traders suffer heavy losses
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Apr 25: With nationwide lockdown to continue till to May 3 and the business of every sort coming to a standstill all over the country, the flower growers of Jammu region have started uprooting their flower plants which were in full blossom as there is no market available to their produce.
According to sources, the flower growers in entire Jammu region have started ploughing their fields by uprooting the flower plants of various varieties which were in full blossom as they have suffered a heavy loss due to ongoing lockdown and lack of demand. Sources said seeing the increasing demand of flowers day by day for last some years, the more and more farmers in the Jammu region right from Lakhanpur to Poonch and Kishtwar districts had started cultivating the flowers.
Sources said the Basmati growers of R S Pura, Samba, Kathua and Akhnoor belt were cultivating flowers up to beginning of May and later they were readying their fields for cultivation of Basmati. But this time as flowers have no demand and farmers were put to heavy loss they have started uprooting the full blossom flower plants and ploughing their fields to prepare the land for new crop, sources added.
They said either it is brightly coloured roses, chrysanthemums, lilies, marigold and other flowers that might normally have been destined for ‘pooja’, expression, decoration in marriages and hotels, are now being destroyed by growers in unprecedented manner as the rapidly spreading Coronavirus brings demand to a standstill.
Ajay Kumar a farmer of Rampur in Vijaypur, tehsil of Samba district who grows flowers in his 17 Kanal agriculture land said he had spent over Rs 50,000 on cultivation of the crop and they expected a good harvest this year. “But due to the lockdown we could not even sell a kg of flowers during the last one month and with the lockdown continuing up to May 3 there is no hope of the sale in coming days picking up with the result we have been put to heavy loss”, he added.
Another flower grower Ganga Ram of the same village said over 100 kanals of land in the Rampur village is under the flower cultivation and April -May were good months for the flower growers but this year all their hopes were dashed to ground as they could not sell even a kg of flowers. “Earlier we used to sell the flowers at Mandi in B C Road Jammu and were also supplying them at various temples”. “We had a good earning during this season every year which enforced us and other farmers in the area to convert more agriculture land for cultivation of flowers”, he added.
He said “as there was a good crop this time and growers were expecting a good return but all our hopes were lost due to the spread of dreaded COVID-19 and announcement of nationwide lockdown”, .
About 3000 hectares of land in Jammu region is under flower cultivation and hundreds of farmers earn their livelihood on it. The total turnover of flower cultivation in Jammu region is about Rs 120 crore but this all has been lost this season, said Tejinder Singh Wazir, president J K Flower Growers Association.
Currently, the Government has given exemption from the lockdown rules for movement and distribution of only essential vegetables, fruits and other food items but not flowers, he said.
“In such a situation, there is no option for the growers but to destroy them in the fields. The survival of the industry is going to be tough as flowers are not essential commodity,” Wazir said, adding “We are fully supported to this lockdown as good for nation but the concerned Department has to show sympathy to growers by giving them the benefit of various Centrally Sponsored Schemes like RKVY MIDH.
The growers are also wary of the role of the authorities of Floriculture Department saying that they did not bother to have on line phone calls with growers and there is no policy before the Department how the growers can be rehabilitated or compensated.
The growers said that in Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh where the growers are also facing the same problem whose business has been also hit like other parts of the country but the Government in these States framed a rehabilitation policy for growers’ which is no where in sight in J&K. They said under the great distress the growers are left with no option but to destroy the crop with a heavy heart as Government paid no attention towards their plight.
Sources said that Indian Council of Research (ICR) had recommended the processing of flowers but no such mechanism has been evolved in the UT. The growers are in great despair as they had installed the flower units and taken loans from banks but they have been put in such a situation that they are unable to repay the loan even, sources added.
What has added to the woes of flower growers in J&K is that the Central Sponsored Schemes are not being implemented for their welfare and the growers are demanding the benefits under these schemes, sources said, adding the Agriculture Production Commissioner took various steps for the welfare of farming community and farmers of vegetable and agri units got money on subsidy basis but no such benefit has been given to flower growers.
As flower wholesale markets across the country are shut because of the lockdown it has also affected over 5000 growers in J&K mostly in districts of Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Udhampur as well as traders associated with the floriculture business.
It is not only the loss of flower growers but small venders who sell flowers at various places in front of temples have been put to heavy loss.
Sharing similar plight, another grower Prakash from Kathua district, said: “I have cultivated marigold on three acres to cater for festival demand of Ramnavmi. Now I cannot sell it in the market due to the lockdown. I am feeding it to livestock and making compost. Some growers are dumping the flower plants in garbage as there are no takers for it in the current difficult times”.
He said “flowers are not priority now for most of the people who are more worried about basic needs like food. But farmers like us have suffered a heavy loss Government should take steps for providing some sort of succor to us”, he added.
A wholesale distributor of flowers in the city said: “there is no demand for flowers anymore because of the Coronavirus”.
“Even if restrictions are lifted on flower, it would be difficult to coordinate with traders getting supplies from different parts during the current lockdown period”.
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