The last time S. Chandra, a farmer from Sivaganga district’s Melakadu village near Nattarasankottai, sent a truck-load of frangipani flowers (sampapngi) was in March before the lockdown began.
After five months, she sent a bag of flowers in a truck delivering newspapers from her village to the makeshift flower market on Race Course Road in Madurai. Like her, many farmers in the Madurai region have found it difficult to transport their flowers, including the priced Madurai Malli (Jasmine) during the peak months. A number of problems have impacted this business.
“Usually we take mofussil buses and sell the flowers at the flower market in Mattuthavani. Now there is no public transport. Trucks and minivans which had to cross district borders to transport our flowers needed e-passes every day which cannot be procured easily. Moreover, there are no weddings. And temples remain closed,” Ms. Chandra says. Few managed to send their flowers to perfume factories in Nilakottai.
P. Ganapathi from Mela Urulikundu used to send tonnes of jasmine to the flower market. He says the peak jasmine season has passed away, without farmers benefiting out of it. “Now we must make do with whatever little income we get by selling flowers at a cheap rate,” he says.
“March to July is the best time to grow jasmine. Without demand, many farmers like me stopped harvesting the flowers. Now, we have limited flowers to offer. Without much demand, it is difficult to bounce back,” he says.
But the farmers have a glimmer of hope with e-pass relaxations and reopening of the Mattuthavani flower market.
S. Ramachandran, president of a flower sellers’ association, says most of the shops in Mattuthavani market will be open by August 24, in time for Vinayaka Chaturthi. “We will follow rules laid down by the Horticulture department and district administration. Hopefully, the festival time will bring more people to the market. We will not allow crowding and make this a COVID-19 hotspot,” he says.
A horticulture official says barricading has been done in the market. “If masks are not worn and social distancing is not followed, we will levy spot fines. Entry points will have thermal scanners. We will place barricades and ensure that shops have hand washing facilities and sanitisers. Those who flout the rules will have their shops sealed. We will send daily reports to the Collector’s office,” he said.
