Come Onam, many homes in the district will have flowers from a few local floriculturists. Enthusiastic as they looked, farmers such as Sikandar Babu from Edayur, near Valancherry, and Ameer Babu Karuvally from Karinjapadi, near Malappuram, anticipated a flowerful Onam.
Both of them have taken a big risk by cultivating flowers at a time when it rained sporadically, and sometimes even heavily. “Rain is a big issue. But I am hopeful of a good yield,” says Ameer Babu, who has cultivated marigold and sunflower on 3.5 acres at Karinjapadi. His flower farm is readying for harvest as Onam festival is already on.
However, for Sikandar Babu, who spared 50 cents of 11.2 acres for marigold cultivation at Edayur, plans were slightly flawed. His flower farm began harvesting nearly two weeks ahead of Onam. “As we tried floriculture on an experimental basis for the first time along with vegetables and paddy, our calculations were slightly imprecise. The flowering took place a couple of weeks before Onam, though we planted the seeds with an eye on the festival,” says Sikandar.
However, Sikandar is happy that his flowers are in high demand in the local markets. “I am selling the flowers in the Valanchery and Kuttippuram markets,” he says. Marigold is being sold for ₹80 and above a kg. “The demand for yellow marigold is higher than orange. Naturally the price too is slightly higher,” he says.
Ameer Babu had tried a hand in flower farming five years ago, but rains had caused him heartburns. This time, however, he is more confident in spite of the rain. He says there is a high demand for sunflowers. “A lot of people have already booked sunflowers,” he says.
According to Ameer, no big profit can be expected from the farm as the cost of flower seeds has shot up. But flower farming, according to him, is a great initiative giving a rare fulfillment both for the mind and purse.
