Flower growers of Patan valley in Lahaul and Spiti in lurch, demand transport facility

Dipender Manta
Tribune News Service
Mandi, July 29

Floriculturists of the Patan valley in Lahaul and Spiti district have urged the Deputy Commissioner to provide facilities to transport their produce to distant markets.

The early variety of flowers, known as Asiatic lily bulbs, is ready in the valley for marketing but the growers do not have any facility to transport their produce to the markets in time.

They say that the flowers are in demand mostly in Delhi, where these fetch good prices every year. However, last year, they suffered huge losses due to the pandemic.

Pritam Singh, a floriculturist of Fuda village in Jahlma panchayat in Lahaul and Spiti, says, “Generally, the farmers of the region transport their flowers in Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) buses to Delhi from the Patan valley but this year, we are facing an acute shortage of transport facilities. Due to the pandemic, the HRTC has not resumed the bus service from Jahlma to Reckong Peo”.

“If the HRTC resumes its service, we will be able to transport our produce to Manali, from where we can take another bus for Delhi,” he said.

Another floriculturist Surender Kumar says, “To transport flowers in private vehicles to distant markets is a costly affair. So, we are fully dependent on HRTC buses for transportation”.

“We have apprised Lahaul Deputy Commissioner Neeraj Kumar of our problem and urged him to do the needful in time. Otherwise, our flower crop will be of no use,” he added.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.