Flowers turn fodder for cattle

COIMBATORE: Poor demand for flowers in Kerala for Onam has driven farmers in Coimbatore to dump their produce as fodder for cattle.

Several farmers have also left their flowers un-plucked in large swathes of fields in the rural parts of the district.

“From over 100 tonnes of flowers that would be sent to the neighbouring state during Onam, the demand has slumped to less than 20 tonnes this year. Local demand from educational institutions and other associations, which used to buy flowers in huge volumes to make ‘poo kolams’, had also gone sluggish this year,” said M Swamythangam of Coimbatore District Flower Merchants Association.

The farmers and flower merchants claimed to have incurred a heavy loss due to poor sales. “Last year, ‘vadamalli’ was sold for Rs 120 per kg for Onam. Now, it’s priced at less than Rs 40. Yet, a large volume of flowers remains stagnant without being sold out. The extent of loss should be surveyed and farmers compensated by the district administration,” said R Murugan, a farmer from the Thondamuthur area.

However, farmers in Krishnagiri, a major producer of flowers in Tamil Nadu, said the price of their produce remains more or less the same as in the previous years.

“Even though the volume of flowers being sent to Kerala has come down, they manage to get a reasonable rate due to the ongoing marriage season. From Hosur region, up to 300 tonnes of flowers were sent to Kerala for Onam over the last few days. Also, over 25 tonnes of flowers were exported to Singapore, Malaysia and some Middle East countries,” said Bala Siva Prasad, president of Hosur Small Farmers Association and member of the Floriculture Committee, New Delhi.

He said that button roses are sold in the range of Rs 150 to Rs 200, premium range of chrysanthemums for Rs 250 and marigolds for 40 to Rs 60.