The Hindu : Front Page : Auction centre for cut flowers in Coimbatore

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Sunday, May 24, 2009
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Auction centre for cut flowers in Coimbatore

M. Soundariya Preetha

— Photo: K. Ananthan

Noblesse is among the rose varieties grown in poly green houses at Karamadai in Coimbatore.

COIMBATORE: Coimbatore will soon have an auction centre for roses and cut flowers.

The Agricultural Marketing Committee has constructed an auction centre here for the flowers at a cost of Rs. 10 lakh.

An official of the Agriculture Marketing Directorate here told The Hindu that 39 green houses had come up in the Karamadai region in the recent years for cut flowers and roses. The farmers had sought marketing facilities.

Hence, the centre was constructed at the Uzhavar Sandhai, R.S. Puram. The centre had an auction hall and cold storage facility. Farmers could display the flowers and buyers could quote prices according to the quality, the official said.

The marketing directorate conducted a market study and had invited sellers from other States to participate in the auctions here.

The centre was likely to be formally inaugurated by the end of next month. Low volume of trade was already going on at the centre, he said.

A number of cut flower sellers in Kerala were sending flowers to Mumbai and Bangalore through the Coimbatore airport. They could use the auction centre here.

The directorate expected 8,000 to 10,000 stems to arrive at the centre every day and the farmers could get Rs. 2 for a stem on an average. Initially, the auction centre services would be available free of cost.

The main benefit for the farmers would be selling directly to the buyers and avoiding middlemen, the official said.

The cut flower growers of Karamadai were also selling the flowers at a stall at the Uzhavar Sandhai now.

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