A public-private partnership provides a win-win situation for valley florists
Floriculture Department Ropes in Beauscape Farms
Abrar Lone (Rising Kashmir)
Srinagar: The Valley florists at last have something to cheer about as Beauscape Farms – a Punjab based flower and vegetable exporter shall procure the flower produce of Kashmir growers. The firm has been roped in by the department of Floriculture, to provide marketing support to flower growers who were badly hit due Amaranth land row last year and global recession this year.
Director Floriculture, Dr. G S Naqash is happy about the development and appreciated Beauscape Farms for starting dealings with the Valley growers.
“We have studied their model and are serious in entering into dealings with the firm. This is for the benefit of the growers who should get their money on time,” Naqash said while introducing the firm to the valley based growers in the department premises here.
“We will provide technical assistance to the growers under technology mission and in this context we had a meeting in Jammu last time in which it was decided that floriculture shall not be dependant on agriculture for inputs and other things,” the director said.
Avtar Singh the promoter of Beauscape Farms said, “We grow and export vegetable, flower seeds and plant material and have 300 growers attached with us in Karnataka and 500 in Punjab.”
“We export vegetable, flowers, seeds and agriculture material and plan to get more and more growers tied with us.”
Singh said that the firm has been in the market for 24 years now and has dealings with major companies at international level. We plan to get more and more growers tied with us from Kashmir, he said.
“Our motive is to produce best crop for export and we already have established relationships with dealers and distributors in international market and providing potential market to valley growers is no issue for us”, Singh added.
The growers admitted that they are not totally aware about the technicalities required in floriculture.
“Despite getting good produce, we incur losses due to lack of marketing support. We don’t know where to deliver our crops at the time of harvest and how to tap potential customers,” an elderly grower said.
Another grower, Zakir Hussian told Rising Kashmir that growers here tend to destroy some of the produce during harvest as they have no idea about the end use of the stuff.
“Growers are least aware about harvesting of flowers and as such tend to destroy their crop at the time of the harvest. Department should play its role in awaking the growers”, said Zakir.
Jammu and Kashmir is the only State in India that enjoys four distinct climatic conditions (temperate, Sub-tropical, Sub-temperate and cold arid) and well defined seasons which favors cultivation of varied kinds and varieties of flowers and bulbs.
Naqash however said that their job is to facilitate each and everything to the growers.
“We are being paid to provide technical support and market to growers”, he said.
Production manager Beauscape Farms, Sukhvinder Singh said, “We will provide Rs 125 per kilogram for cosmos to the growers, Rs 150 for Nasturtium, Rs 1200 for Zinnia and Rs 200 for Elysium.”