Plant disease, heavy rain wither marigold crops, prices set to soar

Pune: Heavy rain and devastating effects of phytoplasma, a bacterial fungus, have severely impacted marigold yields in various parts of Maharashtra.

The shortage of this flower, used extensively in decorations and festivities, is expected to trigger a surge in prices during the peak Diwali period.

Pune's wholesale flower market in Market Yard, which usually receives around 400 truckloads of marigold flowers on an average daily during Diwali, is bracing for the impact of the shortage. Dada Kad, head of the flower section at Pune's Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), said, "The demand will surge from Dhanteras. Most trucks arrive on two days of Diwali. Market Yard hosts about 180 retailers, with flowers arriving from districts like Solapur, Satara, Jalgaon, Hingoli, etc."

Phytoplasma has attacked marigold plantations, causing substantial damage to crops. Deepak Kadam, a farmer from Shikrapur, said, "Due to heavy rain, our marigold crops have been affected by phytoplasma. The yield from my one-acre plantation is just 6 tonnes. Hopefully prices will rise on Diwali."

The recent heavy rain in Kolhapur and Sangli districts has further exacerbated the situation, with nearly 50% of flower produce affected. Makrand Yadav, a farmer from Ashta village in Sangli, said, "Marigold flowers are in the plucking stage and heavy rain along with strong winds and lightening have flatted the plants. These losses are not considered in the criteria set by govt for paying farm losses to farmers and hence we have to bear the losses on our own."

In Nashik district, marigold plantations have been damaged by 30-40% this year. Jagdish Pendhari, a marigold farmer from Chandwad, said, "The rain damaged marigold plantation by up to 40% this year. Moreover, most of the farmers did not cultivate marigold this year due to losses suffered by them last year because of the bumper production that led to a crash in flower prices during Dasara and Diwali last year."

The scarcity of marigold is expected to drive up prices during Diwali. Suresh Chougale, a flower vendor at Shingoshi flower market in Kolhapur city, said, "The per kg price of marigold flowers is likely to stay between Rs400 and Rs500 on the day of Laxmi Puja in peak Diwali period."

"This flower blossoms during the months of major festivals like Dussehra and Diwali. Marigold is commonly used because it grows abundantly in many regions, is considered auspicious, and has a brilliant, resplendent colour besides having ayurvedic significance," said Sanhita Joshi, editorial assistant at Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune. Ayurvedic text Rajanighantu, written after the 14th century, mentions ‘jhandu' for treating fever and psychotic disorders. "Ancient terracotta plaques from Chandraketugarh in West Bengal also reference marigolds being used for decorative purposes," she added.

"Bangalore and Pune regions benefit from ideal floriculture conditions with temperatures between 15-30ºC. Marigolds are widely used for their anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antimicrobial, and antiepileptic properties, making them valuable for medicinal purposes," said Dr Harish D, scientist, ICAR-Directorate of Floriculture Research.

(With inputs from Rahul Gayakwad in Kolhapur and Tushar Pawar in Nashik)



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