Nothing prepares me for the cheery sight that awaits me in one part of Varapuzha. It is just after 9.30am on a muggy day; I hear the murmur of women before I see them. Lakshmi Murali emerges from behind a gap in a compound wall and calls me over. All I see is a plot with a few coconut palms, overgrown grass, weeds and at a distance the glistening Periyar before I see them. “The flowers are here,” she says, pointing to neat rows of yellow and orange marigold flowers in full bloom, partitioned from the rest of the plot by bright saris which form a billowing wall.
The 20 members of the Vanadurga Labour Group in Varapuzha have spent the last two-and-a-half months, 80 plus days, nurturing their patch of marigolds. The flowers are in full bloom, a week away from harvest. “Rain is a worry,” say Jyothsana Ramesh and Lakshmi. Excess water would cause the blooms to weigh down and break; if plucked they rot. The rain gods, they say, have been generous. The plants with blooms are not strong enough to withstand heavy rain. Getting the soil ready came with its challenges, on account of it being marshy.
Marigold may not have been traditionally cultivated commercially in Kerala in the past, but thanks to farmers and government initiatives, Kerala grows its own marigolds rather than depend entirely on states such as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
These women are part of the same Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) group; four other groups — Kudumbashree and individual farmers — in the Varapuzha panchayat farm marigold flowers. The Vanadurga group will be the first to harvest their flowers in the panchayat. Their hopes are pinned on Onam and the demand for flowers. All their produce has been ‘booked’ locally by homes and temples.
“Timing is important. A couple of years ago when we planted marigolds, we miscalculated and had our plants bloom way before Onam. This time we were careful, we planted the saplings in mid-May and we have already harvested flowers four times,” says Rasiya Rahman of Kalamaserry. With each subsequent harvest the flowers get smaller, a reason why the farmers prefer to harvest around Onam. Along with two friends, Shyni Paulose and Lalitha, whom she met during a Krishi Bhavan meeting, she planted 350-odd saplings on Lalitha’s five cent plot behind her house at Kangarapady.
So far they have harvested around 60 kilograms of flowers, which were sold to local flower shops. “We have orders from local schools and offices too!” she says. Currently, they sell to the flower shop at ₹100 per kilogram, closer Onam prices can go up to ₹500 at flower shops, Rasiya says. She has planted some more on a four cent plot near her house as well. An avid gardener, she grows her own vegetables too and that interest led her to flowers.
Demand for flowers surges during Onam, especially with Atham, when pookalams (floral carpets) are laid out not just in homes but also offices, educational institutions and other organisations. These organisations either buy flowers directly from flower shops or from people/groups like Rasiya or the Vanadurga group. Since marigold cultivation is lucrative given the returns on yield, many groups and individual farmers have chosen it.
The seeds and saplings are sourced from local nurseries. Local Krishi Bhavans lend support in the form of processes to be followed for optimal results. “In terms of financial aid, we provide some financial aid, seed money, and the Farmer Extension Organisation provides technical advice and other inputs and services needed,” says Savitha AR, Block Technology Manager, Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA).
Vijayan KK is an independent farmer, who has been cultivating marigold on a leased plot, adjacent to his house, in Thuthiyoor, Thrikkakara, for the past four years. “This year has been great in terms of demand, it wasn’t so in the past years. The farmers and the crop have been getting a lot of attention the last couple of years and that has worked to our advantage.” He works with his mother and three brothers on the farm. Once the flowers are done, they will switch to vegetables. He is all praise for the support from officials of ATMA, Kalamaserry and Thrikkakara Krishi Bhavan, “It wouldn’t have been possible without their help.”
This year they planted 1,200-odd saplings, which Vijayan and his family tend to day and night, literally. “We take turns checking the plants for African snails which attack plants and destroy them overnight. The snails have been particularly bad this year. The menace starts after the rains. We wake up two times nightly to check, as we can’t lose the flowers to them,” adds Vijayan. The family, which had been cultivating vegetables for the past 14 years, lost vegetables in a plot they cultivate at Kunnumpuram to snails recently. His farm has become an attraction
The Vanadurga group had also been farming vegetables for six years before they switched to marigold. Marigold farming is being practised across the State, with support from the State government and local bodies. They pooled in ₹10,000, with each member chipping in ₹500 each for their ‘enterprise’. Although prices see an upswing during Onam, the farmers don’t get to dictate the price. “We cannot sell at the same price as the selling price. Wholesale prices are bound to be lower. However direct sale would get us more money, even ₹50 more per kilogram makes a difference!” Vijayan says.
“It is not a small amount for these women if they are to continue. Next year, we hope to provide more help in terms of subsidies and financial assistance,” says Chandni SM, agricultural officer, Varapuzha. She estimates a harvest of at least 400 kilograms from this plot, “encouraging cultivation of flowers locally would work wonderfully. We will not have to depend on Tamil Nadu or Karnataka,” she adds.
