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Flower industry has job potential in Asom

     Hajo/Guwahati: The business and infrastructure developing in the state, the flower processing industry in the state has now opened employment opportunities for youths in Asom. "The demand for flowers has risen sharply. People have started using more flowers than before. It is definitely a good source of livelihood for unemployed people like us," said Haladhar Malakar, a farmer. Ghulam, a vendor said, locally grown flowers have a great market potential. "Our expenditure is higher on flower brought from outside, but the local flowers are cheap. We can sell for cheaper rates. The flowers from Kolkata are costlier and customers hesitate to buy them. If the farmers produce more flowers, it will both be beneficial for us as well as for the farmers, as demand from flowers from outside will come down," he said.

     There are about 200 flower nurseries in and around Guwahati. However, bulk of the local flowers in Guwahati comes from Hajo, a small hamlet in Asom's Kamrup District. Farmers associated with the flower business say that they see tremendous business opportunity in it. However, with a bit of help in terms of loans and facilities for marketing, the farmers can take their business to the next level. "We have not been able to meet the demands of the market, but with a little bit of help we definitely will be able to do a better job," said Nityananda Malakar, another farmer. Analysts say the market for flowers is growing at 15 percent per annum. They also say that flower exports from the region holds tremendous prospects, for its close proximity to the Southeast Asian countries.

     The flower cultivation has grown in the past few years. Demand for flowers both conventional and ornamental has gone up, especially from institutional buyers like hotels, corporate houses as also owing to a change in the lifestyle of locals.
-Nov 30,  2006

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