Her journey with flowers

happy farmer

Asha Sheshadri, a progressive farmer in Kannangi in Thirthahalli taluk of Shivamogga district, started growing anthurium commercially under the greenhouse method, the first such initiative in the state, 18 years ago. Just like flowers, her journey till date has been a blooming one.

A postgraduate in Sociology, Asha was introduced to the basics of farming after her marriage to K S Sheshadri, a progressive farmer. In 1998, the couple visited Madikeri and this trip changed Asha’s destiny. There she came across anthurium, a tropical South American plant, known for its ornamental flowers. The sight of brightly-coloured flowers triggered curiosity in her as the flowers were something rare in the State then. She was so fascinated by the plant that she decided grow it. Thus began her efforts to cultivate ornamental flowers in a region dominated by traditional crops like areca nut.

Desire for blossoms
As the plants were not available locally, Asha first purchased around 15,000 plants from Holland through an agent and planted them in half-acre land under shade nets. She sought the help of experts from Holland and even travelled there to understand the cultivation practices. “Everything is mechanised in Holland and flowers are grown in a glasshouse. In India, greenhouses are used,” Asha says. 

But when there’s already a successful model that uses glasshouses, why not replicate the same here? Asha explains, “There is a huge difference between India and Holland in terms of temperature. India is a tropical country and maintaining low temperature here is difficult. Thus, I adopted the greenhouse method for cultivation.”

After 15 months, the plants started producing flowers. Later, she expanded the cultivation area to two acres. Today, she has about 15 varieties of anthurium, including tropical red, white acropolis, white angel, green midori, safari red, light orange coloured senator and fire red. However, majority of flowers are tropical red as they are in good demand.

“Anthurium needs to be protected against direct sunlight and wind. The flowers grow best in bright, indirect light and requires a slightly higher level of humidity between 80 and 100%,” Asha explains. Each anthurium plant produces five to 10 flowers per year.

A mixture of coconut husk and coir pith powder form the base for anthurium and fertilisers are sprayed on the plants through sprinklers every alternate day to aid their growth.

But the entire process comes with its own set of problems. For instance, Asha says, “Anthurium flowers are prone to root rot and bacterial blight diseases. I have lost many plants to such diseases. However, there are certain scientific methods that help me tackle them. Maintaining temperature of 30 degree celsius is the key factor. Essentially, this is a technology-driven farming activity. And one must be ready to bear the expenses of the technology. Also, flowers can remain in the plant up to 20 days without any decay. After that, they will start to decay. So, one should pluck flowers within 15 days.”

On the rise
Thanks to their bright colour and long shelf life, anthuriums are mainly used as decoration flowers for marriage and other ceremonies. Currently, Asha’s anthurium cultivation enterprise depends on the market demand entirely. Buyers inform her about their requirements a day in advance and she sends neatly-packed boxes of these flowers to the wholesalers based in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and other cities by bus. The price of a medium-sized anthurium flower is Rs 12 and sometimes, depending on its size, it might cost Rs 20 too. “The annual turnover of this setup is Rs 15 lakh, but one has to wait for three to four years to earn profitable revenues,” Asha avers.

Speaking from experience, Asha says that even small and marginal farmers could take up anthurium cultivation, provided they strictly follow the farming techniques and have a thorough knowledge of market. “Anthurium plants are durable, relatively easy to grow and will survive as indoor plants for a remarkable period of time. With proper care and right environment, one can expect long-lasting flowers all year round,” she states. 

Inspired by her, some people in the district have taken up anthurium cultivation in a small way. The saplings are also available locally. According to the data furnished by the floriculture section of state horticulture department for the year 2013-14, various ornamental flowers including gerbera and anthurium are grown on 30,058 hectares of land across the State. At present, these flowers are being grown in Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, Shivamogga and in and around Bengaluru.

The horticulture department is also lending support to those who are keen to take up anthurium cultivation. Training programmes are being conducted for the farmers. Vishwanath, deputy director of horticulture department, Shivamogga, says, “Anthurium cultivation is not suitable for small and marginal farmers as high investment is needed. Though the department provides subsidy to set up greenhouses, farmers need to pay Rs 60-120 to purchase a single plant. Besides, they have to maintain the climatic conditions throughout the year. Thirthahalli, Sagar and Hosanagar taluks in Shivamogga district are suitable for anthurium cultivation in the district.”

A recipient of many awards, including the Rajyotsava Award in 2014 and
Dr M H Marigowda Best Horticulture Farmer Award in 2001, Asha also grows around 500 orchid plants in her farm. Looking at her flower farm in full bloom, one can easily say that her floral journey is only getting started.