Dr. Banarsi Lal
Flowers have been an integral part of our society and were cultivated for various purposes ranging from religious, social and aesthetic. A demand in the loose and cut flowers has made this sector as one of the most important sectors. Commercial floriculture has higher potential area per unit area than most of the field crops and thus ,a lucrative business. This sector is gaining momentum across the globe because of change in the lifestyle of the people, increasing concern over environment and improving purchasing power of the people. Many youths are coming forward to start the entrepreneurship in floriculture by using the modern technologies. The aesthetic value of flowers, their increasing use in the social events and potential of generating more money are attracting many new entrepreneurs towards floriculture industry. This sector has been considered as a viable sector recently because of increasing urbanization and changing socio-economic status of the people. The demand for cut flowers and loose flowers is increasing and there is need for the researchers and extension agents to concentrate on the future of this sector.
Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is bestowed with natural beauty and located between 32.17 and 37.06 North latitude and 73.2 and 80.36 East longitude in the Himalayan region. It has 1069 mm average annual rainfall in sub-tropical Jammu region and 660mm in temperate valley respectively. The average temperatures of these two regions are 24.5 and 13.3 centigrade respectively. J&K is endowed with ample natural resources including soil, water, climatic condition, diversity, topography, rich natural flora etc. which are conducive for the cultivation of a wide range of flowers. J&K is considered as the paradise on the earth because of its natural glamour. The UT has undergone many changes through the ages, influenced by the different kinds of cultures, religions and rulers during various periods of history. It is this scenic beauty and bountiful nature that lured the Mughals and they were impressed by the natural beauty and they established many gardens in the valley along their main sites and journey routes. Beautiful gardens in J&K are being enjoyed by the tourists across the globe. Keeping the demand of flowers in view there is need to increase the production and quality of flowers in J&K. Government organizations are creating awareness on commercial floriculture among the farmers and some farmers especially the youths are showing keen interest in commercial floriculture.
Union Territory of J&K has huge potential in floriculture industry due to varied agro-climate and ecological conditions. Different types of commercially important flowers can be produced in the region and J&K can lead in quality flowers production in India because of congenial atmosphere for floriculture. Jammu is said to be the city of temples and there is a good numbering of floriculture consumer. Floriculture sector in J&K can strengthen the economy of J&K and some new employment and income opportunities can be created especially for the youth in the region. More efforts are needed to transform the burgeoning floriculture industry in J&K. Presently the contribution of India in world floriculture industry is about 0.6 per cent which is meager at international level. This industry is growing annually at a rate of 7-10 per cent. There is great scope of orchids, gladiolus, marigold, rose, gerbera, lilium, tulip, chrysanthemum etc.in J&K. Some model units of floriculture need to be established in J&K and those units should be replicated in other areas. In J&K every year new farmers are added up in the floriculture industry and their numbering is increasing year-by-year. The competition is also increasing annually because of the quality of flowers. There is need to make some proper marketing channels for flowers. Markets should be regulated for the floriculturists of the region. Additional efforts are needed for the value addition in the floriculture and some new innovations need to be adopted by the floriculturists to make this sector more lucrative. Presently farmers are doing the commercial farming of marigold and gladiolus in Jammu region but some other floriculture crops can also be taken as enterprises by the farmers. There is scope in increasing the productivity of flowers and for that purpose latest technologies need to be adopted. There is uneven performance of floriculture sector in J&K because of promotion of floriculture in certain specific pockets of the region. Off-season flowers can also be produced by the adoption of protected cultivation technique. In Jammu region of J&K area under marigold and gladiolus is rapidly increasing annually because of high net returns. Farmers need more information on production technologies and marketing management under floriculture crops.
Floriculture has been identified as the sunrise industry in J&K .New technologies and trends in floriculture have revolutionsised the floriculture industry. Entrepreneurship in floriculture can give new avenues of income and employment in J&K. Landscaping has become an integral part of gardening, adding aesthetic value to a place, reducing pollution, protecting the environment and promoting eco-tourism. Floriculture requires higher level of information, economics and technology, the consultancy services in preparing the project reports, to prepare the market survey report, evaluation studies etc. National Horticulture Board under the Ministry of Agriculture has introduced many new schemes to encourage the floriculture industry. J&K has lot of scope of floriculture industry.
It has been observed that flowers have high demand within and outside of J&K.J&K has good soil and weather conditions which are conducive for the growth of flowers. All these factors indicate that there is immense scope of floriculture in J& K. Now the farmers are becoming aware about this rising industry. If we look our economy, our agriculture, horticulture and floriculture have attracted the attention of big investors. In Reasi, Jammu and Samba marigold crop is highly concentrated and farmers grow it at commercial level. Farmers are needed adequate credit facilities so that they can purchase quality inputs and get assured irrigation in their crops for better returns. Soil and water testing techniques facilities should be provided to them. Adequate power supply is also required to irrigate their fields and for other power related field activities. Broad research and extension activities also need to be intensified to promote the floriculture industry in J&K. Cold storage facilities also need to be increased to get better returns from this industry. Literature in local dialect should also be provided to the farmers to upgrade their knowledge on commercial floriculture. Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) should also be increased so that farmers can get the information of scientific floriculture even during the COVID-19 pandemic. During training programmes projected aids can be utilized to create more impact of the activities. Through this technique more interest on floriculture can be created among the rural youths and flowers production can be increased. This will help to enhance the income of the farmers. Specific trainings on seed production should be imparted to the farmers so that the cost of cultivation can be reduced in the floriculture sector. Adequate staff is also required to impart the technical skills and assess the feedback of the farmers in this sector. Public Private Partnership (PPP) can also be initiated in this sector. Special projects on floriculture should be launched. Proper packaging and post-harvest techniques should be provided to the farmers. Special exposure visits for the floriculturists should be arranged so as to learn new technologies under this sector. Rural migration should be discouraged so that the labour can be made easily available in the rural areas. Support prices should also be there for the flowers crops. Floriculture can prove as a significant crop for socio-economic transformation in J&K. In order to make the presence felt in the market, a lot needs to be done in terms of improving the infrastructure ,providing the technical knowledge, having a quality control, mechanism, sale and promotion centres and better policies.
(The writer is Chief Scientist & Head of KVK, Reasi SKUAST-J)
