Marigold bloom raises hopes of drought-affected farmers

A trend of sorts in the making with farmers preferring marigold to conventional crops

Ongole: With rains playing truant and unavailability of water from Nagarjuna Sagar canals, farmers in Prakasam district are bidding adieu to conventional crops and turning towards marigold flowers to bail themselves out of financial stress.

As the festival season sets in, farmers are optimistic that there would be rise in demand for marigold flowers. The relatively lower investment, compared with conventional crops like chickpea, ground nut, cotton, chilli and tobacco, and availability of flowers for almost 150 days in a year, have also contributed to the trend.

Several farmers in Parchur, Addanki and Chirala constituencies have decided to usher in the change for good returns. Widely used in pujas and for decoration purposes, these attractive flowers are sold between Rs 100 and Rs 120 in Guntur and Vijayawada markets.

Elated over the returns from his marigold crop, Mastan Rao of Potinavari Palem in Karemchedu mandal, who has been cultivating the crop for the last three years, said: “We do not have sufficient water for agriculture for the past few years. It is difficult to get returns on farming when we take land for lease and cultivate chilli or cotton due to the water and labour costs. Hence, I took to marigold.

Now I am cultivating marigold only in one acre with an investment of Rs 40,000 and the returns are better than other crops. I am selling these flowers at around Rs 45 per kg with a good margin. I produce around 200 kilograms in one harvest.” Drawing inspiration from Mastan Rao, a farmer from Jonnatali village in Martur mandal, Chittiboyina Singarakonda too jumped on the bandwagon.

“I wish to try marigold to compensate loss from my chickpea crop last year,” he said. The success stories of marigold farmers are attracting more farmers towards it in the region. Kalla Nageswara Rao, a farmer from Martur mandal in the district, is planning to raise marigold as his previous chilli and cotton crops did not fetch him remunerative price.

“Chilli cultivation has becom costly. Now I am talking to farmers who cultivated marigold about the pros and cons of the crop. I want to try marigold crop in an acre out of my four acre chilli crop next year and see the results.”

By:Naresh Nandam