Farmers destroy crop as lockdown brings floriculture market to standstill

Normally, farmers anticipate a huge bump in demand during the February-May season due to weddings and other such occasions

Flower farmers across the country have started uprooting full blossom plants amid difficulty in selling their produce following the closure of several mandis and shops because of the nationwide lockdown. 

Maintaining flowers in and off the field requires heavy investments and favourable climate. But, transportation to cold storages has become tough because of unavailability of labourers and logistics facilities. Also, demand for flower has plummeted amid the lockdown.

Farmers anticipate a big jump in demand from February to May because of weddings and several festivals. But, most weddings were put off following the imposition of the lockdown; festivals, such as