The country's premier agricultural research organisation, ICAR, has drawn up a detailed blueprint for turning picturesque Goa into a prominent flower-growing State.

ICAR Research Complex, an arm of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), has chalked out a five-point blueprint for the development of floriculture in Goa, known world over as a tourist paradise.

The outlay would be given to the State Government soon to tap the floriculture potential of Goa, ICAR Research Complex Director, Mr N. P. Singh, told PTI.

“The annual demand for flowers in Goa is about Rs 15 crore, in which, the share of local farmers is very small.

Flowers from Solapur, Belgaum and Pune are flooding the local markets in the State, popularly described as the beach capital of India, he added.

Despite the huge demand, hardly 25 hectares is under floriculture, accounting for a mere 1 per cent of the total area used for horticultural crops, Mr Singh added.

“The hot and humid climate of the western state is suitable for cultivation of loose flowers like jasmine, marigold and crescendo,” he said.

The Centre has also developed a “production technology” for three flowers — Gerbera, Anthurium and Lillium — and open field technology for Gladioulus, which has been demonstrated to farmers and experts, the ICAR Director added.

Giving details of the design, he said provisions should be made to provide a support price for flower crops like the one given for cereals and plantation crops.

Contract farming

Farmer-friendly land reforms like contract farming, tenancy issues and Government support to progressive and interested farmers should be provided, he said, adding that the subsidy procedure should be formulated on the lines of a production-based subsidy and also on a lease basis.

At present, the State provides subsidy only to farmers who have land in their own name. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan are the major flower-growing States in the country.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW