Karnataka, which accounts for nearly 75 per cent of the country’s total flower production, is setting up flower auction centres in six districts to help farmers get remunerative prices.
The move is also aimed at streamlining marketing of traditional flowers, a top official of Horticulture department said.
The main objective of the auction centres was to introduce a “rational, scientific and reliable” market system for wholesale marketing of flowers in traditional flower growing areas of the state, Horticulture Director Jayaram.
The centres would come up in Tumkur, Davanagere, Udupi, Sirsi, Belgaum and Madikeri and Rs 15 crore has been earmarked under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana for this purpose, he said.
The auction centres would protect farmers’ interests from unhealthy trade practices and boost their morale and indirectly help flower cultivation to flourish in the state, he said.
Traditional flowers that would be auctioned in these centres are chrysanthemum, crosandra, barleria, jasmine, michalia champaka, marigold, tuberose, gaillardia, gomphrena globosa and button roses, Jayaram said.