Greenhouse farmers discard harvested flowers

Greenhouse farmers, who were looking to a summer of weddings and temple festivals propelling demand for flowers, have started to discard harvested flowers because of the surge in COVID-19 cases and th

Greenhouse farmers, who were looking to a summer of weddings and temple festivals propelling demand for flowers, have started to discard harvested flowers because of the surge in COVID-19 cases and the resultant curbs. With weddings forced to scale down, bookings cancelled, and temple festivals banned, flowers that ring in the festivities are being discarded out of greenhouses for want of demand, here in Bagalur. “Demand or no demand, flowers will have to be harvested or the crop will be lost,” says M. Harish Babu, a greenhouse farmer in Bagalur. But, there is just so long the harvested flowers can be stored. With absent demand, the flowers are being dumped by the greenhouse farmers.