Distantmer Pankaj Sarkar of Basuniyapara Ranikamat village of Mandalghat village, panchayat of Jalpaiguri district, has decorated his life with the color of marigold flowers. As he turned his fortunes around by growing marigolds commercially, he also became an inspiration to farmers in the area. Learning from relatives became his main source of income.
Currently, the use of flowers in various rituals has increased. From wedding ceremonies to pujas or various religious ceremonies, flowers are in demand everywhere. Pankaj Sarkar’s relatives are in Bethua Nakashipara in Nadia district. Their main occupation is growing flowers. Pankajbabu learned the details of marigold cultivation from there. He has become self-sufficient by growing flowers for the past four years. According to him, ‘five to six thousand seedlings can be planted on one large plot of land. It costs about 15 thousand rupees per bigha. Buds emerge from the plants within a month. Within one and a half to two months, the flowers are full. After that, flowers are available from the plants for about two months. From one large country, flowers worth 70 to 80 thousand rupees can be sold.’
He also said that to supply flowers throughout the year, flower seedlings should be planted in one to one and a half bigha of land every two months. Domestic species do not bloom throughout the year. The flowers also dry quickly after picking. So, special types of marigold flower seedlings must be brought from Nadia. As it blooms throughout the year, the flowers stay fresh for several days. Pankaj Sarkar’s wife, Aparna Sarkar, said that 35 flowers are required to make a marigold chain. Each chain is sold at a wholesale price of Tk 10 to Tk 15. There is no problem in sales as the flowers are in demand almost throughout the year. With the success of this flower cultivation in remote villages, many people in the area became interested in flower cultivation.
