West Bengal's 'flower village' Khirai, helping garner alternative employment for farmers
Aparupa Basu is a freelance video editor and has a passion for travelling
If you have heard of the Valley of Flowers, high up in the Himalayas, you cannot miss the charm of West Bengal’s Khirai, where tracks of flowers of different hues will leave you mesmerised. Almost like a scene out of the Bollywood movie Silsila and the valley of Tulips. Khirai in East Midnapore boasts of stretched farms that cultivate roses, marigolds, chandramallika, and gladiolas among many more. Around 3hrs drive from Kolkata or a 2hr train journey from Howrah, Khirai has generated enough employment in the past decade for farmers who have been looking out for an alternative source of income.
As Pintoo Halder, a long-time flower and vegetable farmer of Khirai said: ‘During winter, production of flowers increases, and this is the best time to witness blooming flowers.
Between November to March, the flower farmers of Khirai remain superbly busy. This is the time when flowers are in full bloom and make this place picturesque as well as generate big-time revenue for the horticulture farmers of Khirai. The women of the households do not just sell flowers but also various ornaments made out of flowers. There is a local wholesale market for flowers and vegetables in Khirai itself.
According to the farmers, the flowers of Khirai are exported to all major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Bangalore. The flowers also find their way daily to Kolkata via trains and sold in the flower markets of the city.
As Pintoo Halder, a long-time flower and vegetable farmer of Khirai said: ‘During winter, production of flowers increases, and this is the best time to witness blooming flowers. The increase in the level of pollution is affecting flower growth in recent years but the state government sends botanists from time to time to help us with advanced techniques so that the production remains constant.
Also read : A fruit from Mexico is changing lives in Bengal
According to the farmers, the flowers of Khirai are exported to all major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kanpur, and Bangalore. The flowers also find their way daily to Kolkata via trains and are sold in the flower markets of the city.
But were pandemic months a desperate time for farmers? ‘Yes it was,’ said Minati Das who makes floral garlands. ‘There were hardly any buyers or tourists, but this winter many are coming and the sale is picking up,’ she added.
Flower cultivation is the most significant economic activity in this region. According to the farmers, the flowers of Khirai are exported to all major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kanpur, and Bangalore. The flowers also find their way daily to Kolkata via trains and are sold in the flower markets of the city. West Bengal’s Khirai has thus scripted a tale of floral sustenance for farmers who are looking for an alternate source of income.
