CANACONA: The ongoing lockdown due to coronavirus has wreaked havoc for the floriculturists of Canacona as the supply and sale of ornamental flowers has stopped due to lack of demand in the market.
The over-a-dozen floriculturists of Canacona, who grow flowers in controlled conditions as well in the open, are losing lakhs of rupees in revenue as the demand has suddenly slumped to zero in the State and in the country as well.
The polyhouse owners who have large unpaid loans feel that it is going to be next to impossible to pay the bank installments for next six months even if the lockdown is removed in two weeks time.
Bangalore, which is the major flower market in South India, has been in shutdown mode together with the other markets as Karnataka is grappling to stop the pandemic.
There are also reports of flowers being harvested by the farmers in Canacona and thrown out as markets are closed.
A farmer owning a polyhouse in Canacona stated that, there are over 20 polyhouses growing orchids, most of which has stopped production for various reasons, but the COVID-19 pandemic has put the last nail in the coffin.
“Since the lockdown began last month I have lost over a lakh of rupees. How will I manage to pay my installments and staff salaries? It surely will be a mountain to climb. All of us are in the same boat,” added another distressed polyhouse farmer.
“Flowers are to be harvested at the right time, but as there is no sale, the flowers have to be plucked and thrown out. Each polyhouse has about 40 thousand Orchid plants, which need fertilisers, pesticides, fungicides and bactericides, all of which are very costly. It is a herculean task right now. For how long can we tide over the situation? Another farmer questioned.
He added that if the situation continues there will be additional losses and that the administration should take measures to prevent it.
