Birthday, weddings, festivals and even homages are paid with flowers which basically highlights the importance of flower market in the state. In September last year the horticulture minister Vijai Sardesai had informed the Goa state Assembly about the plans of the government to set up floriculture estates in Goa which is a part of a comprehensive agriculture policy being prepared by the government. But the recent reports have brought to fore a gloomy picture in the sector. The state government’s ambitious plan to have an expansive Horticulture Estate has taken a back seat due to non-availability of huge space of uninterrupted 100 acres required for the project that was aiming to revive the agriculture sector in the State. The project was supposed to be inspired from Talegao Floriculture Park near Pune which is developed by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. This would have given major boost to the sector but the plan is yet to see the light of day.
“There are lot of logistics involved with regards to the transportation of exotic western flowers. The time interval involved in the purchase and supply of these flowers in long. Also, the rising temperatures in the recent years have affected the flowers. Purchase of flowers in bulk at times becomes non-feasible. These western varieties of flowers need to be kept in cold storage to avoid withering and once they are out in the room temperature we have to clear out the stock within a limited period,” says Rocky Noronha of Liz’s Forest Florist, a renowned name in this business from Margao.
Mahadeo Jware another florist running his business at the Panaji Municipal Market has faced around 30 percent low business compared to last year. “Changing weather conditions, transportation woes where we purchase our stock from Bangalore have contributed to the loss including demonetisation,” states Mahadeo Jware.
Altaf who has established himself as a floriculturist in Sankhali converting his farmland into Orchid farms. He has also experimented with chrysanthemum and it has shown good yields. Goa being a favourable place to grow the varieties of flowers like Thailand which is the main hub for Orchid farming due to the similar climatic conditions. He not only supplies his harvest in Goan markets but also exports to places like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Rajasthan etc depending on the demand.
He also based his conclusion with regards to the scope of floriculture in Goan markets on the research carried out by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research which stated that the Goan floral market has a turn over of around 20 crores per annum. “The research was carried out in 2014 and by now I am expecting atleast 25 crores per annum which is indeed a good sign,” Altaf points out.
Flower business is also taking a halt considering the off season, which is the rainy season when events come to a major drop. “During off season, almost 70 percent of the business drops down specially in Goa where outdoor weddings do not take place and also the hotel industry faces slow business during the season. During this time places like Rajasthan might be a probable business market,”
mentions Altaf.
