Tirupati: Floriculture wilts as sales, exports come to a halt

Tirupati: For the last 25 days, hundreds of farmers in Kuppam and Sathyavedu constituencies in Chittoor district have been facing a tough time to sell flowers due to the nationwide lockdown.

With zero sales of flowers, the situation has pushed the farmers into severe financial troubles.

It may be noted that Kuppam is the leading point for flowers exporting across the country as well as foreign countries.

Many varieties of flowers like lilly, rose, chrysanthemums, marigold and jasmine are exported by the local farmers in Shantipuram, Ramakuppam, Kuppam, Gudupalli mandals of Kuppam constituency.

However, due to lockdown as all the religious temples have been shut and also functions like marriages, political party meetings, seminars and other events which needed flower decoration are not being held, there is no demand from florist traders.

In normal days, usually at least 10 tonne of different varieties of flowers used to be exported to Tirupati, Vijayawada, Guntur, Nellore, Ongole and other local markets in AP. In addition, flowers were being exported to Tamil Nadu as well as Karnataka and overseas markets.

Now the situation has turned bleak because all flower purchasing vendors had stopped their activity but on the other hand lilly, rose, chrysanthemums, marigold, jasmine flowers were ready for plucking.

While unable to sell the flowers, many farmers in Shantipuram and Kuppam, as well as in Pichaturu mandal in Sathyavedu constituency abandoned the flowers in the fields.

A few farmers who plucked the flowers have dumped them in their agricultural fields for using it as manure.

In the face of lockdown many farmers have lost their investments made on floriculture.

Krishnamurhty, a farmer from Nayanapalli of Shantipuram mandal in Kuppam constituency, told The Hans India that while the government was showing interest to provide market facilities to farmers cultivating vegetables during the lockdown, but has ignored the floriculturists.

"We did not get any financial support or aid so far. We left tonne of flowers in agricultural fields," he lamented.