The money plant

Madurai is a unique hub for the trade in jasmine flowers. Exports are picking up, but there are setbacks in the cultivation

A 4 am walk in the busy flower market in Madurai is an unforgettable experience. The atmosphere is heavy with a sweet fragrance and it looks like there has been a snowfall in the area. This is where Madurai Malli, the unique variety of jasmine is traded. The flower is the first horticultural product from Tamil Nadu to have got the Geographical Indication tag.

At the market, mini trucks unload white jasmine blossoms from villages in Madurai, Theni, Dindigul and Virudhunagar districts. There, farmers and traders bargain robustly before basketsful are transferred to trucks. With its heady fragrance, exclusive size and peculiar shape, Madurai Malli has not only India in thrall, but also perfume manufacturers across the globe. Fashion house Christian Dior, for instance, is a buyer.

Says S Venu, a farmer from Alanganallur, “If you sell the flowers in less than three hours from the time they are plucked, you can make good money since the fragrance lingers for a long time. The buyers prefer such flowers.” Often such is the rush to reach the flower marts after the blossoms are harvested an hour or two past midnight that road accidents are frequent.

N Jegatheesan, a leading seller in Madurai, recalls that jasmine farming in the four districts were taken up a little over 100 years ago. Today, around 5,000 farmers are engaged in jasmine cultivation.

The seedlings are nurtured in places Thangachi Madam at Rameswaram for around three months. During this time, they require a balanced amount of rain and sunlight. Once grown, the plants yield high quality blossoms for up to 15 years. One acre of land can hold 2,000-3,000 jasmine plants. In the first year of growth, jasmine farmers can harvest up to 800 kg of flowers per acre.

Except for a month between November and December, harvest takes place year round. The prices depend on demand, and often enough farmers end up with profits. On average, Rs 30-50 lakh worth of blossoms are produced in the four districts abutting Madurai town. The price of Madurai Malli can go up to Rs 1,000 per kg, but can also drop to a mere Rs 10 per kg at peak harvest time.

Jegatheesan, who also exports the flower, says every week around 400 kg of jasmine are sent to the United States, France, England, Canada, West Asia, Malaysia and Singapore. “There is a bigger demand in the global market. We have the capacity to meet the demand, but due to lack of infrastructure and government support, we haven’t been able to increase exports,” he says.

Many farmers are optimistic about working together on exports. “If we form a big group, each of us needs to contribute just a kilo of Malli every day for exports, leaving us with enough to sell at home to the traders,” says G Kasi.

The industry is urging the government to include Madurai airport in the bilateral agreements India has with foreign airlines to enable unhindered passage of the jasmine. Currently, except for Colombo airport, no other airport is linked with Madurai.

However, in recent years, the production of jasmine has been coming down. According to industry representatives, arrival of jasmine in the Madurai market has dropped to 11 tonnes from 15 tonnes earlier. Cultivation has been affected by poor rainfall and a drop in ground water resources. Also, many jasmine farm owners have sold their land when the area along the Outer Ring Road in Madurai was opened up for real estate projects and airport extension.

Agencies like the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development are now taking measures to boost the cultivation. The bank’s R Shankar Narayan says they are not only addressing issues related to finance and business, but also suggesting how jasmine farmers can add value to their product. Farmers are advised, for instance, to sell garlands, hair pieces and distilled fragrance instead of just unstrung blossoms. There are also plans to directly engage the farmers in the exports to avoid middlemen.