Though the sight of swathes of land with marigold and chrysanthemums in full bloom, and greenhouses speckled with white roses will normally bring a smile to any face, it has just plunged the farmers of Hosur into gloom. The reason: the flowers are cropped solely to cater to the Onam demand from Kerala and the floods in the neighbouring State have just washed away all plans for a celebration, and with that, the business prospects of the farmers.
Usually in August, around 50,000 stems make their way to Kerala each day in 30 to 40 buses. By this time, starting from August 10, about 20 lakh stems (roses and green house-cultivated flowers) and 60 to 80 tonnes of loose flowers (marigold, chrysanthemums) would have been parcelled off from Hosur. In Hosur, about 3,000 acres are under loose flower (open field) cultivation. About 80 to 90 tonnes of loose flowers are produced for Onam celebrations in Kerala. In addition, about 500 acres are under white rose cultivation.
For Hosur farmers, Onam is the only opportunity to recover costs. “Usually, the sale of flowers in Aadi (Tamil month considered inauspicious for weddings and other events) is poor, and dependent on temple festivals. But this is offset by the demand from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. But this year, the Ashadha month coincided with Aadi, dousing our hopes of an offsetting demand,” says Bala Siva Prasad of Hosur Small Farmers Association.
The price of loose flowers and cut flowers (green house cultivation) as of Friday put things in perspective. On Friday, the price of chrysanthemum was ₹60/kg, while its usual price (during this season) is around ₹200/kg; and the price of green-house cultivated marigold was ₹80/kg as opposed to ₹300/kg. The price of marigold as loose flowers was ₹30 per 15 stems, as opposed to the season price of ₹150 per 15 stems, according to Mr. Siva Prasad.
‘Extend MSP’
During times of natural calamities or unforeseen events, the government can provide flower producers with a minimum support price, says Mr. Siva Prasad.
Colour extractions units situated along the Coimbatore-Kerala border that buy the flowers unable to enter the neighbouring State demand distress price for the produce. The units buy the flowers for pharma companies, which use the extraction for colouring tablets.