High level of pesticides hurt rose export from Krishnagiri

Major importing nations such as Australia, New Zealand and Europe have stopped buying roses from the state citing pesticide issue over the last eight months.

According to Bala Siva Prasad, a rose grower and an exporter, “Pesticide residue levels in the exported flowers were found to be four times higher than the internationally prescribed standards. Even this ban imports did not befall all of a sudden and curbs were made after the importing countries issued numerous alerts on the presence of harmful chemicals and sought growers to reduce their usage.”

He is also the president of Hosur Small Farmers Association.

He added that the flower requirements of their international clients have now been taken over by other rose growing countries like Holland, Netherland and Kenya.

“They are much into organic cultivation and their flowers easily passes off the quality standards in European nation. Even if those flower importing countries lift restrictions, it would be quite challenging for us to gain over the lost market due to entry of new sellers. Almost 30 per cent of flower growing farmers in Krishnagiri district have been affected by the restrictions,” he added.

Flower growers blamed the absence of a permanent quality control officer in Krishnagiri district, despite it being one of the top producer of flowers, to check quality of fertiliser chemicals sold in shops behind farmers using highly lethal pesticides, unaware of their harmful effects.

“Shops continue to sell cheap and banned pesticides. Farmers also never give a second thought before buying them, as they are more powerful in controlling pests. Such unmindful use has now proved to backfire with export restrictions ruining their revenue,” said farmers.

While export to the European countries have stopped, flower supply continues to South East Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, besides gulf nations, but in lesser quantity. However, the domestic consumption of cut flowers have been good and is helping the farmers to sustain in cultivation. About ten lakh cut flowers, mainly premium quality of roses would be exported from Krishnagiri belt on a monthly basis.

Export usually doubles to 20 lakh for the week, ahead of Christmas and New Year. It goes up further upto 60 lakhs during Valentine’s Day. Rose cultivation is taken up in nearly 1,000 acres in the district and the monthly turnover from flower trade goes upto Rs 2 crore. Of this, 35 per cent to 40 per cent of the revenue comes through exports, said farmers.

Meanwhile, a senior official from the horticulture department added that awareness through field visits, demonstrations and seminars were being organised to help farmers adopt organic methods of flower cultivation. “This year alone, about 650 farmers from Krishnagiri, Erode, Salem and Dharmapuri districts have taken part in our sensitisation programmes and sounded positive towards adopting organic farming,” said the official.

Further, he added that farmers have got used to chemical fertilisers and the change towards organic cultivation could happen only rather slow. “There has not been any use of banned chemicals among farmers as we also conduct frequent raids in shops. However, farmers may use a heavy dosage than the prescribed levels resulting in negative effects. We are also telling the farmers to go with only standard dosage levels for pesticide and not overuse them for instant results,” he said.