Keonjhar: Even as many farmers don’t find paddy cultivation profitable, they switch to other farming. Some farmers in Keonjhar have taken to floriculture.
However, many of them alleged that flower cultivation fails to get government support due to which they cannot take up it as a full-time occupation.
The local market has a good demand for flowers. Traders here have to depend on flowers supplied from Kolkota to meet the demand of consumers.
Those who have been doing floriculture observed that the geo-climatic condition in some parts of Keonjhar is quite suitable for flower farming.
“If the government provides support in terms of technical know-how and finance, farmers could take up this cultivation on a large scale,” they noted.
Government support will attract more farmers to turn to flower farming and the local markets will not depend on supplies from other states, they added.
Take the example of Khetrabasi Nayak, a farmer of Manoharpur under Keonjhar block. He sells packets of flowers at Biju Chhak every morning. Nayak gets an additional earning from flower cultivation. He has been doing this cultivation over last seven years.
“In my area, I am the only farmer doing flower cultivation. Other farmers say, there is no profit in it,” he said. He has been cultivating, marigold, sebati, mandar, tagar and rose in his farmland.
He had earned over Rs1 lakh last year by investing Rs 40,000. He plucks flowers from his land in wee hours, makes packets and sells them in local market.
“Each packet is sold for Rs 10. A kg of flower is sold for Rs 70 to Rs 80. My family members work together to grow flowers,” he added.
Some tribal farmers from remote areas are seen selling flowers in the town. Some of the tribal farmers also added that the government support can help them take up this cultivation on a large scale.
They added that the local markets have good demand for flowers. A social activist said the state government needs to promote commercial cultivation of traditional flowers to meet the increasing demand in domestic market.
Floriculture is blossoming into a viable business in this district. Purna Chandra Bala, a trader from Kolkata has been selling flowers at Deulia bazaar. He sells a kg of flower for Rs 50.
An expert pointed out that horticulture department has to formulate guidelines to promote floriculture under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).
Farmers keen to do floriculture should be imparted training while the government needs to facilitate institutional credit and market linkage to promote it for the interests of farmers.
