Flower growers reluctant to cultivate seasonal varieties due to water shortage

HYDERABAD: Flower growers in Sindh are reluctant to cultivate seasonal varieties this year due to acute water shortage.

The plantation of at least eight varieties in Sindh, locally known as gando (marigold), gul-e-sultan, gul-e-daudi, cut flower, tulip and others, usually starts in late August every year. These plants take 40 to 45 days to grow and become productive. These flowers are most profitable. Hence, growers always show preference to have these seasonal flowers in their fields, but this year, they express fear due to water crisis.

Majeed Mallah, who is in this business since long said: "We could not cultivate tuberose flowers, which farmers plant in the months of March, April and May due to water shortage."

This variety is very profitable, but due to water shortage this year we cannot plant this variety and that is why the situation looks uncertain.

He said acute water scarcity, extreme heat and dryness caused decline in per acre yield. Every flower needs proper weather, water and care. Citing an example, he said, major gulab rose have lost its natural fragrance because of water unavailability.

“Most of the flower producers are not ready to cultivate seasonal flowers because of water scarcity," Mallah said.

At present, we get three to four kilogram gulab per acre as compared to 25 to 30kg in normal days during this season.

Heat wave and irrigation water shortage have become common, creating problems for the farmers. Besides producers and traders, this situation has put livelihood of a large number of rose picking women workers, and those involved in packing, loading and transportation at stake, he said.

Rizwan Siddiqi, another flower producer said, "I have lost different varieties of flowers, mainly gulab standing on more than 50 acres land in Rahooki, Tandojam.”

Rahooki is part of Hatri, which contributes more in flower production and have supply chain from field to the market.

The growers believe that they had another option to install tube-wells to extract underground water to save the product in case irrigation system does not have capacity. But the underground water itself is not safe for crops, as well as drinking purposes, Siddiqi said.

Several flower varieties are in high demand in local and international markets, but due to the lack of water this industry is facing problems.

Hatri growers receive water from main Rohri canal through Hyderabad branch, which presently does not have water to feed the flower gardens.

The traders and growers have a mutual understanding in this business as traders take products, variety of flowers from the field to the market and growers have to bear the cost of rose picking in the field, while traders make arrangements for transportation and other expenses to bring it to the market.

The growers used to get Rs35/kg for gulab roses, but due to the uncertain situation, now the traders are paying Rs20-28/kg to them.

Growers said rose is a fragile and perishable item. It neither survives in heat nor in the freezing cold. It needs normal weather.

The roses cannot be kept for more than two to three days. January to March is the peak season for variety of flowers and farmers get 40 to 60kg of roses/acre, while during June and July the product usually declines to two to five kg/acre. The traders said they have suffered more loss due to the water scarcity. It is feared that if the situation persists, other growers may also not plant roses in the future.

There are flower gardens along the National Highway, Matiari and Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar and Mirpurkhas districts. Hatri is considered a major market of roses of different varieties some years ago. In the wintering peak season, the traders used to come daily to get 40 to 45 truckloads of roses to transport them to different buyers in Karachi.

But due to the water crisis, farmers look upset about the production. Traditional rose garden farmers have a long experience of rose cultivation. They take proper care of these plants, maintain water supply and explore better options for marketing. It is hard for them to cultivate alternative crops, but despite fears and challenges, they are opting to cultivate other crops.

Farmers said many of them are unaware of the alternative irrigation methodology such as drip and sprinkling. Similarly, greenhouse technology for floriculture is yet to come to them to save this major industry, they added. They demanded the government to ensure proper water or help adopt alternate methodology of irrigation to save this important industry, which provides sources of living to hundreds of families in the province.