Flower auction centre to be set up in Udupi

 

Mangalore, 04 Jan 2014: The department of horticulture will set up a flower auction centre at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore in Udupi district in order to give a filip to flowers as a commercial crop especially jasmine, said D L Maheswar, director of the department. The famed Shankarpura jasmine that gas received the Geographical Indications tag is presently grown in around 260 hectares of land in Udupi.

 

As and when the auction centre becomes operational, flowers of various description that are grown in nearly 2,000 hectares in neighboring districts can be bought and sold at the centre, he said, adding this would vastly encourage flower-growers. The centre will deal with auction, scientific processing of flowers, its storage and also help keep the middlemen away from the growers.

 

Noting that farmers will receive fair remunerative price for their produce with the middlemen out of the picture, Maheswar said the centre will also provide training to them, issue good quality flower seeds, pesticides to ensure better yields. The department that is completing 50-years of its inception is reaching out to the farmers in its golden jubilee year by way of such outreach activities.

 

The department in a bid to cash in on the new penchant among residents of city to involve themselves in horticulture activities and to inculcate interest among people in such activities will organize a fruits and flower show in Udupi for the first time at a cost of Rs 5 lakh. An information centre that will provide latest information on modern agriculture practices to horticulturists will become operational shortly.

 

The department in its effort to promote farmers growing horticulture crops is encouraging setting up of farmers group. Such groups will receive financial aid, post-harvest processing and value addition training, linkages to market and exports, he said. This comprehensive programme will enable farmers to make the best use of their efforts in growing horticultural crops, Maheshwar added.