Floriculture biz in Vidarbha wilts as lockdown continues

Nagpur: With no marriages, no social gatherings, temples closed and ban on religious congregations, lockdown has dealt a big blow to floriculturists in the region.
The situation has gone from bad to worse in the last one month so much so that some farmers are even taking to sleeping pills to ease tension, while some are contemplating to go for alternative crops.
“Our real season starts with Marathi traditional New Year Gudi Padwa followed by religious festivals like Ram Navami, Mahavir Jayanti and Hanuman Jayanti and continues till June with marriages. Huge business was lost due to cancellation of shobhayatras. Ambedkar Jayanti too was a low-key affair,” says Dhanraj Selokar, who does farming on a two-hectare land in Tarsa village.
Selokar, who also owns a shop at Ram Nagar, said, “Flowers not being an essential commodity are not allowed to be transported during the lockdown. Hence, my shop is closed, but I have to pay wages to my men working at the shop and farm.”
Nagpur is a major flower market in Vidarbha with a daily turnover of Rs60-70 lakh. At least 600 acre of farm land is under open flower farming in the district. Besides, variety of flowers arrive from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Nanded, Nashik, Pune and other big cities.
Sanjay Sharma, a leading floriculturist having a big nursery in Akola, said, “Apart from religious functions, our major source of income is ‘mandap’ and stage decoration during weddings. The worst part is that many farmers, who also own shops, had to refund the advance taken from customers for mandap decoration works to be held in April, May and June. Now, new dates for marriages are slated in November and December only.”
The flowers grown in the region are mainly marigold, rose, tuberose, chrysanthemum, gladioli, aster, jasmine, kagda, mogra, gerbera, carnation etc. Akola alone has a daily floriculture trade of Rs25-30 lakh. Around 500 acre in the district is under floriculture, but entire produce is wilting.
Progressive farmer Suresh Fulari of Patur says due to heavy losses, floriculturists are even thinking of shifting to alternative horticulture farming. It took 20-25 years for farmers to develop this business in the region, but it was shattered in a month due to coronavirus. Thousands of workers dependent on the trade have been rendered jobless.
Farmers like Rajan Yelne, who has a 5-acre flower farm in Wadoda on Bhandara Road, has started consuming sleeping pills to ease tension. “My labourers are plucking flowers and throwing them in pits. I have to pay wages to them without earning a single rupee. My bank balance has gone down. I had to compromise with these men by way of barter by offering them rice produced in my farm,” says Yelne.
Rajesh Taywade, a farmer from Wakeshwar, said, “For the last one month, flowers are plucked only to be thrown as there is no demand due to lockdown. If we don’t pluck ripe flowers, entire plantation will die. There is zero income, but maintenance cost continues to be as usual. Even if mandis open from April 20 as per state orders, our losses will continue as temples will remain closed and marriages will remain suspended. It will give partial relief and we will be able to meet at least the labour cost.”