Covid woes wither jasmine bloom for Vedaranyam farmers

NAGAPATTINAM: “We used to get Rs 400 to Rs 500 per kilogram of jasmine. Now, we are getting only about `100 for the same quantity. We are unable to recover investment such as fertilisers and crop boosters for our plants,” says R Sivaji, a flower farmer from Karuppambulam. Like him, many others in the district are unable to reap sufficient profits, thanks to the second wave and the restrictions that came with it.

Farmers in Nagapattinam district largely ciltivate crops such as paddy, cotton, and pulses, and to some extent, horticultural crops like coconut and casuarina. Floriculture exists as proper cultivation only in the Vedaranyam block. Farmers cultivate jasmine (Malligai and Mullai) on about two thousand acres of land, under the horticulture department in dozens of villages like Karuppambulam, Ayakkaranpulam, Maruthur, Vaimedu, Thambirankudidkadu, Kadinalvayal and Kuravapulam. Each village has about 500 to 1,000 households that grow jasmine.

The flowers are usually plucked every day from 4 am to 8 am. Mini trucks collect these flowers from the households and carry them to places like Mannargudi, Pattukottai, Karaikal and Mayiladuthurai. “Our area is primarily rain-fed. Flowers have not bloomed as expected due to a lack of rainfall this year. We have only about 50 per cent growth in our plants. So our gains even dwindle further in addition to reduced prices,” says D Olichandran, a farmer from Vaimedu.

The first dip in procurement prices came after temples started restricting devotees, thanks to the surge in cases. When there are no devotees going to see the deity, who would buy jasmine flowers? The farmers say procurers come an hour in advance on days of complete lockdown. They are also unable to pluck all of their gains in time.

“The price we get, which is as low as Rs 40 for Arabian jasmine, is insufficient to pay for the workers. They are solely dependent on this and demand Rs 50 per kg as wages daily. So, we are pushed deeper into losses,” says MR Subramanian, a flower farmer from Aadhanur. The only hope these farmers have is to look forward to the government intervening in this regard to help mitigate their losses.