Several farmers have been throwing flowers into canals of river Godavari near Kadiyapulanka flower market in East Godavari district as the produce remains unsold owing to partial lockdown, simple weddings and closure of temples across the State.
The existing market scenario has also impacted the import of various varieties of flowers from southern States. The canals, particularly the stretch of canal adjacent to the flower market here, are filled up with the flowers dumped by the farmers.
Leaving in a helpless state in managing the daily flower production on the fields, the farmers are left with no option except to dump the day’s output into the canals after noon, when the curfew comes into force banning the trade activity at the flower market.
Four tonnes dumped
“Over the past week, nearly four tonnes of jasmine, lilly and marigold have been thrown into the canals. The daily arrival of flowers is around 10 tonnes at our market from the six mandals of Kadiyam, Alamuru, Atreyapuram, Kottapeta, Seetanagaram, Rajanagaram, Ravulapalem and Mandapeta,” said Kadiyapu Lanka Flower Merchants’ Association president Gangamulla Nageswara Rao.
According to the flower merchants’ association statistics, at least 20,000 farmers, including small farmers and tenants, are engaged in the cultivation of flowers in the stretch of the six mandals in East Godavari district.
According to Mr. Nageswara Rao, there is no buyer of flowers at the market as temples have been closed and weddings are being planned without any grandeur. Adding to the growers’ woes, the curfew is in force. The farmers were forced to throw the flowers that remain unsold before the curfew time.
Mr. Nageswara Rao observed that there would not be any major advantage even if the government offered any time relaxation at the flower market as flower consumption for various purposes had fallen drastically owing to the prevailing scenario.
The farmers cultivating lilly could delay the harvest for a maximum of four days, but later the produce would be left to wither on the plant itself. However, jasmine and marigold farmers need to pluck the flowers immediately after they blossom and market it within a one or two. The flower farmers have been hit by the spread of the COVID-19 consecutively for the second summer season in a row.