After suffering over 70 percent in losses due to untimely rain and hailstorm, many flower growers in the region are contemplating returning to the wheat-paddy cycle. The farmers who took land on annual leases are the worst affected.
Gurdeep Singh, a flower grower from Niamtpur village of Malerkotla, said, “Flowers were ready to be plucked, but the rain has damaged more than 70 percent of plants. In some places, the loss is 100 percent. The state government should order special assessments for flower growers if it is serious about crop diversification. Else, the majority of flower growers will go back to the paddy-wheat cycle.”
Flower growers said their per acre cost stood at around Rs 60,000, including labor and other expenses.
They said they had received Rs 14,000 per acre subsidy for the first time from the state government, but frequent spells of rain and has caused them heavy losses.
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