Right from 7.30 a.m., a bevy of men and women flower growers, with baskets of jasmines mounted over a rolled cloth on their heads, can be seen gathering on the outskirts of Pedana, a small weavers town near Machilipatnam of Krishna district.
Villagers say buyers come to the Pedana market from Kaikaluru, Gudivada, Kuchipudi, Bandar (Machilipatnam), Bantumilli and other places in the Krishna district. It is said to be the biggest jasmine market in the district after Machilipatnam town.
In an hour, about 30 growers gather at the market with their baskets of jasmine. A buzz of murmur envelopes the group as growers wait for customers. “Rates have dropped. The flower is being sold at ₹150-200 per kg,” says B. Nagaraju, a villager.
Untimely rains
May, the wedding season in Andhra Pradesh, is when growers reap maximum profits every year. Earlier this season, one kg of jasmine was sold for as high as ₹1,000. But this time, untimely rain has affected the flower crop in the last couple of weeks. The flowers have developed red mites, which has reduced their marketing value.
Growers say they are forced to spend more on pesticides. Over half a litre of pesticide, costing ₹500 is required for a garden of 20 cents. It has to be sprayed on the flowers every alternate day to prevent diseases, says Nagaraju.
“Jasmine is a dry land crop. It requires certain units of heat. It is in April-May that the vegetative bud transforms into a reproductive one. While summer showers in these months help in the flowering to some extent, continuous rain for a week or more could lead to diseases,” explains Lalitha Kameshwari, head of Krishi Vignan Kendram, West Godavari.
More disease-attacks
Extreme weather is not suitable for jasmines. They require a moderate temperature, between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius. Sudden climatic changes have led to an increase in the infestation of flowers. Thrips, midge, leaf spots, and budworms have become common.
The growers faced the brunt of climate change in 2021 too, when floods devastated their crops. N.N. Reddy, former National Head of Climate Change in Horticulture Crops, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)- Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), says that the impact of floods is not immediately known because jasmine is not grown in an organised pattern. In villages, it is mostly grown in the backyards of houses.
“Rains in summer will lead to plant wilting, flowers dropping to the ground and disease attacks. The effects of climate change are more in tropical regions. The horticulture crops will suffer damage,” Mr. Reddy says.
After the floods of 2021, many villagers shifted to growing leafy vegetables. The market, which used to be held on a stretch of 500 metres earlier, is now confined to an area in front of a tea stall.
“One could see gardens all along the road to Pedana,” says Nagaraju, whose family has been growing jasmine for three generations. He says six villages surrounding Pedana depend on the income from selling jasmine flowers.
“There was a time when ninety out of a hundred houses used to have a garden. Every household has a garden in the backyard,” adds another seller. Now, buyers and sellers have come down to ₹300-₹400 per day from over ₹800 per day ten years back.
After incurring a loss of ₹40,000 during the floods, Nagaraju also decided to grow leafy vegetables. Neither Nagaraju nor any other villager got any compensation from the government.
Not much crop loss, say official
Jyothi, Krishna district’s Assistant Director, Department of Horticulture, says an input subsidy of ₹ 15,000 is given for crop loss to those with a hectare of jasmine crop. “But, in Pedana, any person having a garden of over an acre is rare. There may be 100-150 farmers in a village involved in jasmine cultivation here, but the total area occupied by the gardens is not more than 25 acres,” she says.
Contrary to what scientists say, the official maintains that climate change has minimal effect on jasmines and that the pests can also be seen in summer. “There has not been much crop loss due to recent rains,” she said.
But, for some people in Pedana, cultivating jasmine once again is nothing but a gamble. “Growing jasmine involves an expenditure of ₹1 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh, including pesticides and labour wages. Since many of us could not invest that big a sum, we looked for other options,” says Nagaraju.
Jasmine requires daily harvesting. If the flower is not picked today, it will not be suitable for sale tomorrow. Many are also shifting to growing other crops.
Seetha, who picks flowers for three hours every day from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., gets ₹60 - ₹80 daily. In a jasmine garden of 30 cents where she works, only two other women work. “Three labourers are not enough to pick flowers in such a big garden,” says Seetha, who has been doing it since she was in her teens.
When it rains continuously in dry months, not only does the crop suffer, but also workers, who depend on wages given by jasmine growers. “Many of us go for construction work or fixing drainage in towns,” says Seetha.
‘Should be grown on raised beds’
Since climate change is real and here to stay, experts say small jasmine growers should take steps to mitigate its effects to some extent.
“The crop should always be grown on a raised bed to prevent water stagnation during heavy rain. Precision farming technology, meaning site-specific crop management, should be used to avoid unnecessary expenditure,” says U. Jeevan, Assistant Professor, Department of Floriculture, Sri Krishnadevaraya College of Horticultural Sciences, Anantapur.
