E-Paper
UP polls under Covid shadow: Flower growing farmers, traders denied ‘bloom time’
Traders said owing to UP polls, they had approached flower growers of other districts too but now even though the polling date was fast approaching, demand had failed to pick up at big wholesale markets in Varanasi or Mirzapur
Poll season that each time brings prosperity for hundreds of traders, farmers and others associated with flower trade in Prayagraj and neighbouring districts has failed to prove to be a bloom time for them amid the pandemic.
In view of the assembly election, many farmers in trans-Yamuna and trans-Ganga areas were expecting huge demand and had hence even increased the area for cultivating flowers last year. Because of the moist conditions, there has also been an increased production of flowers especially roses and marigolds in their fields. However, because of the restrictions on rallies and limited campaigning—which has been forced to shift to online mode—the flower markets and their business are in the docks, leaving farmers and traders disappointed.
Areas like Arail, Mahewa, Ganjia and Dandi of Naini are dominated by large fields of flower cultivation. The harvest in the field is good but the flowers are dying in the fields spread over hundreds of bighas. Flower farmers and traders say that since there is limited demand of flowers from political parties, they are incurring huge losses.
A flower trader Ganesh says, “Hundreds of quintals of flowers were consumed in every previous election and demand of flowers like roses and marigolds was not only from Prayagraj and neighbouring districts but also from cities like Kanpur, Fatehpur, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur and Pratapgarh among others. But due to low demand this time, flowers are drying up in the fields itself.”
A flower cultivator Bablu Singh says, “If the sale of flowers does not pick up in a couple of days, the scorching summer will ruin the entire yield.” He said it had become difficult to even recover the cost. “To decorate stages in election rallies, a combination of many types of flowers is made but now that the rallies are not being held and as a result all traders, decorators as well as farmers cultivating flowers are suffering losses,” he adds.
The district has four major wholesale markets for the sale of flowers. They are at Gaughat, Phulmandi near old bridge over river Yamuna (Naini side), Rambagh and Mundera Mandi. Apart from the city, traders from the surrounding districts also procure flowers from here. Flowers are also ordered from Mirzapur, Varanasi, Kolkata and Delhi as the demand increases.
Another flower trader Mohan Maurya, who is based in Phaphamau, said, “There has been a sharp decline in the sale of flowers ever since the pandemic had surfaced and despite elections, we are at heavy loss”.
Most of the flower growers are left with no other option but to set up shops outside temples or mosques and find buyers. Local traders said owing to elections, they had approached flower growers of other districts too but now even though the polling date was fast approaching, demand had failed to pick up even at big wholesale markets in Varanasi or Mirzapur.
