Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 28 (ANI): Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, flower farmers in the Tiruchirappalli district have put forward several demands.

They have been consistently urging the government to establish a dedicated flower research centre in the Srirangam area, similar to those functioning in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The farmers say that setting up such a research facility would help in the early identification of pest attacks and plant diseases, enabling timely treatment and improving overall yield.

Additionally, the farmers have sought the establishment of a perfume extraction unit in the region. According to them, this would provide an alternative market for surplus produce, allowing farmers to sell flowers for value-added processing during periods of high yield.

Flower cultivation takes place across nearly 2,000 acres in the Srirangam region, where a wide variety of flowers are grown. These include jasmine varieties such as gundu malli, Madurai malli, and pichi; chrysanthemum (white and yellow saamanthi); marigold (orange and yellow); rose (red, pink, white, and paneer rose); and tuberose (sampangi or sugandharaja).

Traditional and fragrant flowers such as champangi, manoranjitham, senbagam, paarijatham, thulasi, and maruvam are also cultivated, along with ornamental varieties like lantana, verbena, adenium (desert rose), allamanda, angelonia, pentas, and euphorbia.

Pennan, a flower farmer, said that during every election period, they consistently raise their demands, as this region largely depends on flower cultivation for its livelihood. He pointed out that just as there is a banana research centre in the area, establishing a flower research centre would bring significant benefits to farmers. He also added that they have been demanding the setting up of a perfume extraction unit for the past 20 years, but this demand too has remained unfulfilled so far.

Farmer Rajendran said that flower cultivation is carried out across nearly 2,000 acres in the Srirangam area of Tiruchirappalli district alone, and flower growers are among the hardest-working in agriculture, often staying awake for nearly 18 hours a day to protect their crops. He added that farmers in the region have been continuously demanding the establishment of a flower research centre for the past 20 years, but no action has been taken so far. He urged the government to at least set up such a facility in the coming year, similar to those in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. He also stated that establishing a perfume extraction unit in the region would greatly benefit farmers by providing better value for their produce.

Another flower farmer, Durairaj, said that they have been engaged in flower cultivation for generations as a traditional occupation. He stated that flower farming is carried out across nearly 2,000 acres in this region alone, and that they cultivate more than 12 varieties of flowers. He added that they continue to raise their demands during every election and urged the Tamil Nadu government and the Horticulture Department to come forward and address their concerns. (ANI)