| Article
on Dutt Flower Farm, The Tribune, Chandigarh India
A
Specialist of Chrysanthemums
by Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News
Service
Karnal,
December 15
Aloke
Dutt, a 46-year- old marginal farmer of a nearby
village having a land holding of 10 acres, is
successfully taking up the propagation and cultivation
chrysanthemum flowers for the past 13 years.
A
pioneer example of 100 per cent diversification
of his land holding from traditional crops to
cultivation of chrysanthemum flowers, he gains
more profits as compared to the traditional crops.
While
taking to The Tribune at his farm on the national
highway just opposite to the headquarters of the
Haryana Armed Police at Madhuban, 10 km from here,
he said:" I have earned Rs 5 lakh from flower
cultivation in 10 acres of land during the last
financial year as net profit, which otherwise,
was not at all possible."
He
is presently growing at least 20 types of cut-flower
varieties of chrysanthemum flowers, 15 types of
multi-coloured chrysanthemum flowers used in making
garlands and many types of large chrysanthemum
flowers to propagate them in the gardens of big
houses in the cities. He says: " The saplings
of these varieties of flowers are planted for
three months from July to September-end in accordance
to their climatic survivability and the harvest
is taken continuously from October to April-end."
In
reply to a question, he admitted that cultivation
of crops is risky because market rates fluctuate
daily but even in sluggish marketing conditions
" I have earned at least Rs 50,000 per acre
per annum from chrysanthemum cultivation".
The highest one could earn in increased demand
market conditions is something around Rs 3 lakh
per acre, he said.
However,
it requires a lot of labour efforts to cultivate
and then sell these flowers in the market, he
said. .
Mr
Dutt said that the biggest advantage in cultivation
and transportation of chrysanthemum flowers is
that it has a vase life of around three weeks,
which provides ample time to the farmers to cut,
preserve, pack and then transport the flowers
to even remote markets.
As
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