Unseasonal rains have wreaked havoc across rural parts of Thane district particularly affecting marigold farmers in the Bhiwandi region. The continuous showers over the past several days have destroyed large swathes of the marigold crop, leaving farmers in deep distress and their festive season hopes shattered.
Every year during the Dussehra and Diwali, marriage season, marigold flowers are in high demand across Maharashtra. Farmers in villages around Bhiwandi cultivate marigold as a profitable secondary crop after paddy, earning between 2 lakh to 3 lakh annually. However this year heavy and untimely rainfall has turned their golden fields into a picture of despair.
The rainwater accumulated in the fields has caused the flowers to turn black and rot, while the constant humidity has led to the spread of fungal diseases such as karpya rog (blight). As a result, the flowers’ quality has deteriorated drastically making them unsellable in local markets. Traders have refused to buy the damaged flowers leading to a steep drop in prices. Several farmers have been forced to dump their flowers in the fields unable to recover even their cultivation costs.
Ganesh Patil, a farmer from Bhiwandi taluka who grows marigold on two acres said the rains have completely wiped out his crop.
The flowers were just about to bloom when the rain came. Within a few hours, everything was destroyed. Now there’s no harvest, no market and no income,” he lamented.
Farmers across the region share his pain. What was once a season of fragrance and prosperity has turned into one of loss and frustration. The festive atmosphere that used to fill their homes has been replaced by anxiety and hopelessness.Even the traders are refusing to buy our flowers. We have no option but to throw them away, said another local farmer.
The affected farmers have appealed to the government and district administration to conduct surveys and provide financial assistance. They have accused officials of neglecting the flower cultivators while extending help to paddy farmers.
The administration conducted assessments for paddy losses but not for flower growers. We feel abandoned said the farmers.
Despite repeated assurances, no concrete action has been taken yet. The farmers allege that officials promised aid but never followed through. Their demand is simple fair compensation and timely relief to cover their losses.
As Diwali passes in gloom the marigold farmers of Bhiwandi continue to wait for government intervention. Their plight serves as a stark reminder of the growing vulnerability of small-scale cultivators to climate change and the urgent need for responsive agricultural support systems.
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