Unable to sell

To alleviate the pressure on farmers, West Bengal on April 7 lifted restrictions on flower trade during the lockdown. But the decision has not brought much cheer to Ganesh Maiti from Mahatpur village in Purbo Medinipur district, who says the damage is already done. Around March and April, there is usually a surge in the demand of flowers, particularly marigold, because of festivals like Navratri. People also prefer organising marriage ceremonies and social gatherings during the months due to pleasant weather, Maiti explains. “But this time, there was almost no demand for flowers. If left intact, flowers can damage productivity of plants. So, we had to pluck and feed tonnes of flowers to our cattle,” says the 30-year-old. He estimates to have incurred a loss of `15,000 in just two weeks.

Industry associations say flower is a major cash crop in districts like Howrah, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas and Purbo Medinipur, which account for 12 per cent of the country’s flower production. “We fear the losses could be the tune of `8-10 crore as the market had begun to slow down as early as mid-March when governments had issued advisories against public gatherings,” says Narayan Chandra Nayak, general secretary of the Bengal Flower Growers and Traders Association. Even after the ease of restrictions, Nayak says, the market might recover by just 20 per cent as very few vehicles are available for transportation. Meeranand Manna, a grower in Paschim Medinipur, says, “The situation is not likely to improve as long as