Many Farmers in Malur, Karnataka, India have been suffering through a drought that has been killing off their crops. Attempts at irrigation have been unsuccessful; the solution? Grow flowers!
Button roses and Dutch roses are cultivated in an area of 472 hectares, the maximum in the taluk. Chendu mallige (a jasmine variety with a thick bud) is grown in an area of 334 hectares. Abdul Rauf, a farmer from Lakkur, says that he has been cultivating Dutch roses for the last three years. “There is no adequate rain. Crops like tomatos do not have a stable price in the market. It requires a lot of water to grow vegetables. Therefore farmers in our village grow Dutch roses in about 100 acres of land”, says Rauf.
Under the present circumstances, farmers are well aware of flowers prices in the market. There are also opportunities for selling the flowers directly even if they have to travel long distances. The farmer gets revenue everyday from flowers and gets a better price compared to vegetables. The transport cost is also less therefore the number of farmers cultivating flowers is increasing year by year.
