Farmers in a village of Karimnagar district in Telangana have shifted from farming traditional crops to cultivating flowers to earn more profit. They have been farming season crops and taking care of them till it is ready for harvest. But they don’t get the required profit in the market. The farmers of Mallannapally village of Choppadandi mandal of Karimnagar, who grow traditional crops like cotton, paddy and maize, have received low prices for the crops and have shifted to farming marigolds and earning profit.
Mallannapally has around 140 families and out of them, more than 40 have reportedly started cultivating marigolds in a half acre of their agricultural lands. Famers of the village have been practising the same for almost a decade and have been growing crops as well. Apart from rice, maize and cotton, marigold is also cultivated every year with the help or cooperation of the horticulture authorities. At present, the cotton crop is being sold for Rs 15,000 per quintal in the market.
Farmers also said that marigolds can be cultivated easily in the field or at home without any risk and the demand for marigolds is also higher during the festival season and auspicious occasions. They have seen profits after cultivating the flower due to various festivals lined up including the month of Vinayak Chaturthi, Sharvan, Navratri, Dussehra, Diwali and Ayyappa Puja.
Marigold is considered to be highly auspicious during the festive rituals in the Hindu religion due to its mythological significance. According to beliefs, marigold was used by Lord Rama, the colour yellow is very dear to Lord Vishnu and Lord Ganesha is also known to love the flower. The yellow and orange colour marigold is believed to be indicative of the sun’s warmth and sheer beauty.
For members of the Pulpadiyur Kudumbashree unit, in Padiyur panchayat, in Thrissur District, Kerala, this year, Onam revolved around their marigold flowers grown. The unit was reported to have harvested three tons of flowers.
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