Krishnagiri farmers stare at bleak exports as roses bloom in advance

“This year, winter temperature rose by a few degrees causing flowers to bloom a week in advance. This phenomenon forces cultivators to harvest them immediately. Subsequently, the cut flowers reach the market much ahead of Valentine’s Day,” said Bala Siva Prasad, president of Hosur Small Farmers’ Association. Cultivators also expressed apprehension that the harvested flowers can’t be preserved for long as their quality may deteriorate.

“Even if the flowers are preserved in cold storage facility, they will not retain the freshness. It may lead to either rejection or drop in prices in the international market,” said R Hari Krishnan, a cut-flower exporter from Thally.

The early bloom of roses has come at a time when new markets have opened up for flower exporters from Krishnagiri district following the coronavirus outbreak in China. “The South East Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Bangkok, Thailand and the Philippines have imposed import curbs on flowers from China due to coronavirus scare. So we expect good orders from these countries in the next two days. Yet, production has dropped significantly with an increase of up to 20 per cent of blind shoots and water shoots, which usually would be in the range of eight per cent,” said Bala. Not just in Krishnagiri district, the issue of roses blooming in advance has been witnessed in other major rose growing markets like Pune and Nashik too. Roses command a higher price during the week preceding the Valentine’s Day.

“Almost 50 per cent of flowers in the district have come up in advance for harvest. Flowers usually bloom in the first week of February for harvest, which will then be apt for export. This season, the roses have begun to bloom from January 25, more than a week in advance. Those with a cold storage facility are preserving them for exports. Other marginal and small scale farmers are selling the harvested flowers in domestic market at a lesser price. However, in a solace for farmers, roses command better prices in the domestic market now than in the previous years,” he added. The normal cycle for roses to grow would be around 50 to 55 days, but it has come down to 45 days due to higher temperature. Though flowers have reached maturity earlier resulting in a forced harvest, they could not be exported now as it is too early. This is the first time in more than a decade that such a situation has arisen, say cultivators. Around 4000 farmers produce multiple varieties of roses in about 6000 acres in Hosur and surrounding areas in Krishnagiri district. In order to delay the blooming of buds, the farmers have begun using sprinklers, water washing of rose buds and tend more water to plants to cool them off.

G Srinivasan Deputy Director of Horticulture Training Centre, Thally in Krishnagiri district said that even if the flowers bloom by a few days in advance, then it could cause issues in the export industry.

“Roses are cultivated in poly houses in about 1,600 acres in the Krishnagiri district. Only if the flowers are harvested in poly houses, then the flowers attain the export quality. Of the total exports, 80 per cent comes during a period of 45 days, when Valentine’s Day, Christmas and New Year falls. On an average, up to three crore flowers are exported in this season. Traders do an annual turnover of 50 crore in business annually through flower exports, while domestic business comes to around 200 crore per year,” he said.