Dr. Banarsi Lal
kvkreasi@gmail.com
In the recent years floriculture has been emerged as an economically viable diversification option in the Indian agribusiness and has captured the interests of many farmers in to this sector.This industry is growing at an impressive annual rate of 7-10 per cent.This sector is gaining momentum because of change in the lifestyles of the people ,concern for environment,conscious efforts towards greening and purchasing capacity of the people.It has emerged as the lucrative profession with the much higher potential for farm returns. Flowers are always remained as an integral part of social fabric,since time immemorial.They play an important role in our life right from birth to death.Flowers have their importance because of their aesthetic value ,in their use in decorating homes,in social events such as marriages,social gatherings ,in religious rituals etc. Floriculture has been identified as the sunrise industry.This sector has an immense potential in generating income and employment. In recent years,this sector has become extreme focus area of exports.Dry flowers exports constitute 60 -70 per cent of the total floriculture exports.Increasing urbanisation and changing living standards of people has increased the demand of flowers and flower products over the years.A demand in the loose and cut flowers has made this sector as one of the most important sectors.India has an ancient heritage when it comes to floriculture.However commercial floriculture is of recent origin.Commercial floriculture has higher potential area per unit area than most of the field crops and thus ,a lucrative business.
Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is considered as the most colourful territory of India.It is bestowed with natural beauty and has diverse agro-climatic and ecological conditions for a wide varieties of flowers.It is 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 congenial 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 many farmers especially the youths are showing keen interest in commercial floriculture.
Floriculture in J&K has increased tremendously which is evident from the increase in the area in the recent years. J&K has an immense potential in floriculture industry due to varied agro-climate and ecological conditions. Different types of commercially important flowers can be produced in the region throughout the year. 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 avenues can be created specially for the youth in the region. More efforts are needed to transform the burgeoning floriculture industry in J&K. 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 agro-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.Union Territory of J&K has lot of scope of floriculture industry.The growth of floriculture was possible due to policy initiatives from the Central and UT Government through Central Sector and state schemes. 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 an immense scope of floriculture in the Union Territory of 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 are needed to be intensified to promote the floriculture industry in J&K. Public Private Partnership (PPP) can also be initiated in this sector in J&K. Special projects on floriculture should be launched in J&K. 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 facilities such as branding,packaging and preservation of plucked flowers should be provided to the flower growers. There is need to find appropriate channels for marketing of floral products in the national and international markets.There is need to develop new varieties of flowers that are well-suited in the local climate conditions and encourage the establishment of cooperative societies and marketing organisations.
The writer is: Dr. Banarsi Lal,Chief Scientist & Head of KVK, Reasi ,Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Jammu (SKUAST-J).
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