All arrangements are in place for the seventh edition of ‘Poopoli’, an international flower show and agri fest jointly organised by the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) and the Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers’ Welfare at Ambalavayal in Wayanad from January 1 to 15.
Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran will inaugurate the event at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The 15-day fiesta will showcase the potential of floriculture in the high range of Wayanad, besides fostering better collaboration among multi-stakeholders including scientists, farmers, traders, and entrepreneurs in the sector, K. Ajith Kumar, Associate Director, Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Ambalavayal, told The Hindu.
Six varieties of Hybrid Lilium and five varieties of Gerbera imported from the Netherlands are the major cynosures of the fiesta, Dr. Ajithkumar said. As many as 34,800 bulbs of Lilium have been imported for the show, he added.
“Around 3,00,000 lakh people visited the flower show in 2020, but we expect up to 5,00,000 visitors this time,” Dr. Ajith Kumar said, adding that the KAU had spent ₹1.5 core for organising the event.
Apart from the imported varieties, a large variety of flowers such as perennial balsams, dahlia, gladiolus, marigold, miniature dahlia, chrysanthemum, celosia, poinsettia, pentas, salvia, rose, canna, petunia, china aster, and thumbergia spread over 10 acres will lend colour to the show, he said.
The other attractions include thematic gardens (rock garden, moon garden, and floating garden), fountains, and an aquarium with different species of ornamental fish varieties.
As many as 350 stalls, including 100 stalls of government agencies, will be part of the event. Moreover, there will be sale of various agricultural technologies, equipment, machinery, and value-added products.
The participants include research and development institutes of ICAR, various stations of Agricultural University, Agriculture department, NGOs, and private agro firms. The KSRTC will operate special services from Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad districts.
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