The Hindu : Front Page : Ooty floriculturists plan fast

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 20, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Ooty floriculturists plan fast

D. Radhakrishnan

— Photo: Special Arrangement

A damaged green house of a floriculturist near Coonoor.

Udhagamandalam: A number of floriculturists in the Nilgiris are in a state of distress.

Contending that nothing tangible was done to address their problems despite repeated representations to the State Government, the general secretary of the association N.Krishnamoorthy says that the main demand of the floriculturists is that the government should provide them relief by arranging for waiver of bank loans.

The loans had been taken for putting up floriculture units under a crop diversification scheme of the government.

Claiming that there is no match between what had been projected by the promoters while implementing the scheme and the situation on the ground , Mr Krishnamoorthy said that they are now in a financial mess.

\While on the one hand the returns from cultivating flowers were poor, the pressure to repay loans was, on the other, mounting. Contending that hi-tech floriculture had been introduced in the Nilgiris without going into the cost benefit ratio, the general secretary says that due to lack of proper guidance and adequate support, the farmers are on tenterhooks. Poor quality of inputs, marketing problems and natural calamities are among the problems that continue to haunt them.

However, sources in the horticulture department say that many floriculturists are doing well. As a crop diversification activity, floriculture started gaining momentum about four years ago in the district.

The department would continue to promote hi-tech floriculture as the conditions here were ideal for the activity, the sources said.

To highlight their problems, members of the Nilgiris District Flower Cultivating Small Farmers Association have sought Police permission to observe a fast at the Independence Square here on December 30.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page