Flower growers lose hope as no authentic survey done to assess losses

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 3

Ravinder Kumar, a farmer of Karalia village of Chak Panchayat in Samba district, has lost all hopes of getting some relief as nothing has been done, so far, to conduct an authentic survey to assess the losses of flower growers in Jammu.

“The government has announced to give relief to the flower growers, worst affected by Covid-19, but instead of assessing the losses on the ground, the authorities are adopting pick and choose policy in finalising relief”, Ravinder said, adding, “officers are making relief claims while sitting in offices”.

Every year, Ravinder grows flowers on a piece of rented land to earn his livelihood. “With an investment of over Rs 3 lakh, I have grown flowers on over 30 kanals, a chunk of which is rented. Due to the pandemic, we have no option but to destroy the same”, he said, adding, “March and April is the best season of reaping the benefits of flower crops”.

“I have also taken a loan of Rs 1.5 lakh through Kissan Credit Card but it is impossible to repay the loan”, he said.

Ravinder is not an isolated case, the situation of all the flower growers of Jammu province is the same.

Thousands of flower growers and people engaged in the distribution chain have been hit due to the ongoing lockdown. All religious places have been closed since March 25 and marriages and other festivals have also turned into a low-key affair. The business is of about Rs 10 crore during the festival season.

BOX

700 registered growers in Jammu region

·There are 700 registered growers in Jammu region alone and nearly 3,000 in the UT.

·It is estimated that more than 1,000 hectares is under cultivation where different varieties of flowers particularly marigold, jasmine, aster, rose, chrysanthemum and tuberose is grown in J&K.