Bouquet of profits for Marigold growers

Pithapuram (East Godavari): A vegetable farmer who rotated his crop and experimented with Marigold crop is minting gold and reaping good revenues. Chinnari Potayya, a small and marginal farmer belonging to Kotha Madhavapuram village in Pithapuram mandal experimented with marigold crop in his half-acre farm. Earlier, he was cultivating gherkins, ladies' fingers and brinjals. Later, due to the decline in vegetables prices, he switched over to horticulture crops and raised marigold by sourcing seedlings from Bengaluru and Kuppam.

Potayya invested only Rs 10,000 to raise the crop on his half-acre farm. He irrigated the farm with water from a small pound. Marigold crop is also not a fertiliser intensive crop. Barring the caterpillar, marigold crop is not susceptible to other pest attacks. Presently, Potayya’s farm is a treat to the eyes with marigold flowers in full bloom.

The flowers are plucked twice a week, and the yield each time is around 200 kg. Demand for the flowers is very high in view of auspicious Telugu month of Karteeka. One kg of flower fetches between Rs 30 and Rs 50. Potayya has become a role model, with other farmers who were raising seasonal crops since they did not command any demand in the market –shifting to alternate crops According to horticulture officer, Sujata, compared to vegetable crops, Horticulture crop seeds are highly subsidized. The investment on seeds and seedlings works out to around Rs.6400 per acre.

Another advantage of Marigold is that it can be cultivated on dry lands. The yield would be very high if the farmer procures seedlings from Bengaluru and Kuppam. Local farmers are spawning seeds for their own use. Marigold is vulnerable to leaf rot, Sujata said and added that the crop is subjected to caterpillar menace. “However, the pest did not surface during the current season,” she said.