Tamil Nadu: Farmers dump tonnes of Sampangi flowers as prices wither
India Today
Unable to get a decent sale price, further resulting in losses, farmers dumped nearly seven tonnes of Sampangi flowers in the Erode district of Tamil Nadu.
Nearly seven tonnes of Sampangi flowers were dumped by farmers in pits in Erode district of Tamil Nadu after they failed to get a decent sale price.
Notably, the cost of Sampangi flower dropped from Rs 70 per kilo last week to Rs 10 for the day, shocking farmers. Therefore, in order to avoid more loss, they halfway dumped nearly seven tonnes of Sampangi flowers in pits.
Farmers stated that just to bring the flowers to the market, they had to begin plucking the flowers by 5 AM in the morning and with a steep fall in prices, they were frustrated to see their labour going to waste.
Meanwhile, they also requested the government to intervene by providing MSP to avoid such loss of livelihood or to set up a perfume factory in their region, further bringing in jobs.
Farmers in Sathyamangalam and surrounding areas had cultivated the Sampangi flower plants, which are used in perfume production and festival occasions.
Normally, the flowers are brought to Sathyamangalam Flower producers society where the price is determined and then transported to various districts of Tamilnadu and to Kerala and Karnataka.
These flowers are also exported abroad from Kerala.
