Date:26/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/26/stories/2007102659380700.htm

Karnataka

It is bloom time in Chitradurga

During season, a farmer can earn Rs. 1 lakh from the produce from an acre of land

REAPING IT RICH: Farmers at a field in Chitradurga.

Floriculture is a fast growing industry in Chitradurga as more farmers are taking up flower cultivation. The amount of funds being released by the Department of Horticulture is also an indication to it. Last year, the Government had released nearly Rs. 20 lakh to the district as subsidy. This has increased to Rs. 89 lakh this year. At present, the flowers are grown in over 1,000 hectares of land in the district which produces 8,000 tonnes of different varieties of flowers. Deputy Director of Horticulture Kadiregowda said that the farmers of the district are cultivating crossandra, jasmine, chrysanthemum, tube rose, aster, gladiolus and rose. Crossandra is cultivated in 548 hectares of land, jasmine in 293 hectares, chrysanthemum in 153 hectares and aster in 49 hectares of land. Under the National Horticulture Mission, the department gives subsidies up to Rs. 45,000. Farmers can invest nearly Rs. 50,000 per hectare for rose cultivation, while the expenditure is between Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 30,000 for jasmine and crossandra respectively, Mr. Kadiregowda said. In almost all varieties, the flowering period begins in three to six months of cultivation. “Though flowers can be cultivated in almost every season, farmers prefer cultivating them mainly for festival seasons,” said president of the District Progressive Farmers’ Association Sitaram Reddy. Dr. Sitaram Reddy said that the farmers were gaining profit from floriculture as flowers have got good market in Davangere, Bangalore, Pune, Solapur and Bijapur. During season, a farmer could earn about Rs. 1 lakh from the produce from an acre of land, he said. “Many buyers pay in advance to farmers,” he said.

Firoz Rozindar in Chitradurga