Flower auction centre getting ready

Flower growers in coastal and Malnad districts have a good news now as the auction centre at Shivalli in Udupi district is nearing completion. Shivalli is one of the four auction centres planned by the State government and it will be helpful to growers from Dakshina Kannada, Chikmagalur, Shimoga and Udupi districts.

Udupi District Horticulture Department Deputy Director S Sadhashiva Rao said the Rs 1.96 crore auction centre in Shivalli village is coming up on a sprawling 27 acres of horticulture farm in Doddannagudde in Shivalli village. The work is likely to be completed in about a month’s time.

The building will have 16 shops with each measuring 4X4 metre and one cold storage unit of 6X4 m on the ground floor. The first floor will house an office room, guest house and an auction hall. A separate post of the Assistant Director for horticulture has been created to handle the activities in the auction centre.

     Rao said that the first auction centre in the region will definitely help flower growers from Udupi and nearby districts. He hoped that the growers would take advantage of the facilities. He said details on staffing and how to conduct auction have not been worked out.

 The official said that the tender has been called for setting up of refrigeration equipment in the cold storage building. Unsold flowers will be kept in cold storage units for two to three days.

Udupi Mallige will remain fresh for three days when refrigerated, he added.
Flowers like anthurium can be stored for nearly 15 days, he said.

While flower auction centre at Sira in Tumkur district has already been inaugurated, cetnres at Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district and Belgaum are under construction, he added.