Members of Akashzep Kalanjiam Mahila Sang showcasing Rose Cultivation
“Life is like a rose garden — watch out for the thorns while you relish the fragrance of the petals”, says a famous quote. Indeed life, like a rose garden is full of thorns and sweet fragrance, but what perhaps makes it beautiful is the human spirit to endure the thorns and grow with the fragrance.
Our colleagues from the Hingoli region also seem to make the most of the quote as they balance the thorns and fragrance of life to walk on the path of economic sustainability.
Recently, DHAN Kalanjiam Foundation’s ‘Akashzep Kalanjiam Mahila Sang’ Women’s SHG initiated the floriculture activity of rose cultivation in a newly constructed polyhouse, thus making a mark for economic development.
Members of Akashzep Kalanjiam Mahila Sang showcasing Rose Cultivation
The joint venture of ‘Manav Vikas Mission’ Hingoli and Women's Economic Development and DHAN Foundation, Hingoli region brought together 55 women from 5 self-help groups in Andharwadi and formed the Flower Producer Kalanjiam Women's Federation. Rs. 43,89,000 (43 lakh 89 thousand) was sanctioned on a 100% grant through Manav Vikas Mission. They decided to plant roses in Polly House. For that, they rented half an acre (20 Gunthas) of land in the village for 4 years at a cost of Rs. 1 lakh.
The women in the federation signed an agreement with Rajdeep Enterprise, Talegaon Dabhade, Pune. It was agreed that the company would pay for the construction of the poly house with the help of a Dutch rose plantation.
The above amount has been used for buying a storage room and a 4-wheeler for goods transportation. The above scheme will be in operation for 4 years. In it, all the women shall plant roses together and spray regular fertilizers and medicines. At the time of the first harvest, around 245 flowers were yield. The price for the selling the same in Hingoli market was around 280 rupees. In this way, subsequently, the team achieved a yield of 2500 to 3000 flowers in the time period of weeks. The selling price for the same is turning around to be Rs. 4000 to Rs. 4500.
So far the team has achieved around Rs. 9000 to Rs. 10000 thousand and after deducting the cost they have a profit of 7 to 8 thousand rupees. Nowadays, the market price is getting impacted due to the ongoing pandemic. The SHG has now employed a worker to take care of the cultivation. The women expressed the vision of selling 5 to 6 lakh flowers every year in the near future and secure a profit of 3 to 4 lakh.
