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Bloom to bust: Lockdown takes the fragrance out of floriculture
With no marriage ceremonies and temples opened, lockdown has impacted the livelihood of flower farmers as they are forced to throw away their produce or feed them to the cattle.
Marigold, jasmine, lilies, and roses – the flowers that earlier used to adorn marriage ceremonies and were offered during prayers in temples, are now a picture of neglect. The nationwide lockdown has disrupted the flower industry and killed the livelihood of farmers who cultivate it.
Flower farmer Basil Toppo is desperate for the lockdown to end. “My rose and marigold plants are getting burnt in this heat. Somehow I manage to water them but till when? Flowers don’t come under essential commodities. There are no weddings or celebrations and temples are shut which has put a halt to my income,” he says.
The multi-coloured roses, daisies, lilies, orchids and golden marigolds that blossomed in the open fields are now infested with pests. Another flower farmer Sonia Kumari is worried about her farm’s health. She says, “I understand that this lockdown is for the greater good of the society, but our livelihoods are at stake. We used to transport 20-30 kilogram flowers but there are no buyers now. We have to keep harvesting with fresh investments but most of it go waste as flowers are dying now. I distribute it to my neighbours so they could decorate their homes or hair so at least some could be used.”
Lockdown has forced cultivators to make their cattle graze on the wilted flowers. Most of them have to undertake the painful task of dumping piles of flowers into a waste pit. Shamsher, a cultivator says, “We are forced to throw away flowers which were meant to be offered to God. Our cattle feed on them. We are under deep financial stress.”
It’s not just farmers who are suffering, but also workers like Reshma who makes garlands. She says, “The lockdown has destroyed the livelihood of so many women in my village who make garlands after buying loose flowers from the market. With no marriages, we have no source of income now.”
Things are grim for florists too since flowers can’t be stored in cold storages or processed for other purposes. Florist Harichand Saini’s shop which used to sell a variety of flowers for temples or events is now stinking. He says, “The fragrance has turned into a sour smell. Since my flower stocks were rotting, I had to discard them all.”
Not only domestic trade but also flower exports have stopped. Saini says, “We used to export a large quantity of fresh and trimmed flowers to different countries. But with the coronavirus pandemic and flights shut, there’s no revival in sight.’
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