Telangana flower farmers badly hit amid lockdown due to COVID-19

The lockdown and restrictions have put a lot of small businesses in the country in jeopardy. And one of the businesses affected is that of floral farmers.

According to a report by Telangana Horticulture Department, the sector – including fruits, vegetables, spices, plantations and flowers – provides 40% of Agriculture Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). The crops grown in the area of 12.40 lakh acres in the state, of which flower crop comprises 11,000 acres.

Where this period would earlier be a prosperous one for them due to the upcoming April-June wedding season, the farmers are now left in a lurch. Not only are they unable to sell their produce, but they are also unsure about whether they can plant the next round of flowers.

Temporary farm labourers, who are hired for plucking flowers from the fields, have also lost their source of income. 

Wedding season gone waste

Usually, around this time of the year, a kilo of lilies would sell for Rs 300 – the flower is mostly used in making wedding garlands and other decorative purposes.

"Starting from April, almost every day we get a good yield of lilies as this is the peak season for them. But because of the situation, we are not even plucking the flowers and just leaving them on the plants," said a worried floral farmer, Sri Ram Reddy, from Paligutta village in Ranga Reddy district.

The farmer grows lilies, chrysanthemum and marigold flowers depending on the season. His entire family is dependent on income from floral cultivation.

Crops being cleared fearing infection

The lockdown in the month of March was bad enough for the farmers, but hearing that it has been extended in Telangana till the end of the month has compelled farmers to clear good, existing crop, fearing infections in the plants.

"If you leave the farm just like that, the plant might get infected with diseases and the next yield may also get affected. In order to avoid that, we have removed the entire crop as the lockdown got extended. Even before that our everyday yield of lilies for the month of March had gone to waste," said K Chandrashekar Reddy, a floral farmer from Paligutta village, where a majority of the farmers are dependent on floral cultivation. 

“With this lockdown, we are facing monthly losses of about Rs 50,000 to 60,000, especially in this season," added Chandrashekar.

Further, the uncertainty of the situation has also put farmers in a dilemma on whether they can plant the next crop. Earlier, they would have started growing chrysanthemum as well. However, they are now unsure whether they should go ahead with the plantation.

Compelled to secretly sell flowers with vegetables vendors

Some of the small scale floral farmers are forced to secretly sell their yield at less than half rate along with vegetable vendors, who are allowed to operate under essential services.

"Usually, we would get Rs 50 to 60 per kilo of roses. Now, I am going along with vegetables vendors and selling my flowers at less than half the price. It’s not ideal, but we have to do something to survive," said a farmer who has a one-acre rose garden in the outskirts of Hyderabad city.

Most of the floral farmers from districts near Hyderabad travel to the city to sell their produce in bulk quantity at Gudi Malkapur Flower Market in the wee hours. Here, the flowers are usually imported and exported to various districts, and the neighbouring states Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. However, with the lockdown and states sealing borders, this is now out of question.

Risky business in general

Sangam Malla Reddy, a floral farmer from Chevella says that the floral business is riskier than stock markets. “Flowers have a much shorter shelf life. It's just hopeless in the time of lockdown. Several villages across Chevella are dependent on floral businesses are in a lot of trouble,” he rued.

“One of our representatives has spoken to Telangana state higher officials in a recently held video conference. The officials said that they would think the issues of floral farmers as well once a lockdown settles. However, we are not sure how it’s going to work out," Sangam Malla Reddy added.