Passing across Plamoottukada, a village nearly five kilometres away from Udiyankulangara on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, one would hardly miss the colourful terrace garden on a two-storeyed building.
Spread over the terrace and adjascent acreage is ‘Admatha’, the ornamental flower garden of J C Cicilchandran where Orchids, Anthuriums and Heliconia sway in full bloom, sporting vibrant hues.
Way back in the year 2000, Cicilchandran quit his job as a technician in the MILMA to start his own farming venture relying on the farming experiences, which he acquired from his father. Though a school teacher, Cicil’s father practised farming, especially paddy cutlivation. Like other farmers in the village, vegetable farming was his Cicil’s choice. The vegetable garden, which spread across the three-acre plot located at a few kilometers away from his home, reaped him much profits initially.
“As years passed on, farming expenses skyrocketed. There was acute shortage of labour as well. This made me think of venturing into floriculture,” he says.
Eventually, Cicil shifted his attention to the small Anthurium garden, which had been maintained by his parents at his house. “My parents were fond of flowers and they used to maintain a small garden in the courtyard. They had always urged me to start cultivation of ornamental plants along with vegetable farming. As it became hard to maintain the vegetable farm, I decided to try ornamental flower farming on an experimental basis,’’ says Cicil, 47, a graduate in Botany and a diploma holder in food technology.
Gradually, he expanded the Anthurium garden. He also planted one hundred Jasmine saplings in his plot. However, some of his friends and relatives were against his new idea. They raised doubts about how floriculture can provide a regular income. “I visited several flower gardens and read several magazines regarding floriculture. From these, I understood that floriculture requires only one-time initial investment. Unlike vegetable farming, we need not have to replenish the soil between every intervals, which also spares the labour. Once they attain full growth, it will go on producing flowers and manuring and caring are the only things we have to continue to carry out,” says Cicil.
The technical expertise provided by then agriculture officer Nicholas Chandran boosted his confidence. ‘‘Nicholas sir helped me to attend training programmes at the Kerala Agricultural University. It was indeed a turning point. He also supported me in growing various varieties of ornamental plants,’’ Cicil recalls.
Soon, hundreds of Heliconia saplings replaced the bittergourds and snake gourds in his three-acre plot, and diverse varieties of Orchids and Anthuriums popped up on the courtyard and the terrace. At present, Cicil grows over 37 varieties of Heliconia, as many as 17 types of Anthuriums and 47 types of Orchids. Anthurium varieties include Tropical Red, Honduras, Hawaiian Orange, Agnihotri, Acropolis.
“Customers used to ask for Orchids while they came to buy Anthuriums. That’s how I realised the market potential of Orchids and began growing them,’’ Cicil says. He manages to supply about 3000 ornamental flowers a month. Apart from this, he also sells saplings and bouquets.
Cicil supplies flowers to retailers of Nagercoil and marthandam markets. Besides, he serves the ornamental flower requirements of nearby churches and provides bouquets and does flower arrangements for wedding functions and occasions. Cicil’s wife Shobhanalatha and his daughter Anne, a plus two student of G R Memorial Public School, Neyyattinkara, craft bouquets for the purpose.
According to Cicil, success in floriculture depends on how fast you catch the techniques of growing ornamental plants and the diversity in plant varieties you can bring in the garden. “Bacterial disease is the major threat to Orchids and Anthuriums. However, growing Heliconia is easier when compared to Orchids and Anthuriums,’’ Cicil said. Kulathur Krishi Bhavan Agriculture Officer Victor Raj guides Cicil in the application of fertilisers and pesticides in his flower garden.
Every day, right from 5 am onwards, Cicil is with his plants observing their growth, closely examining them to remove the pests and supplying nutrients based on the requirements. “They are my good friends. Life with them refreshes my mind and makes me happy,” adds Cicil, who plays guitar and organ. On weekends, Cicil and Anne play guitar and violin sitting amidst Anthuriums and Orchids on the terrace garden.
Now, the flower farmer is all set to establish a 2000 sq. ft. hi-tech polyhouse, costing over Rs 10 lakh, for growing ornamental plants. “The idea of fully mechanised Anthurium and Orchid garden was suggested by the agriculture officer Victor Raj. We are actively working on the project. The plan is to grow Orchids and Anthuriums in controlled temperature conditions. Heat and humidity inside the garden will be regulated using exhaust fans,” he said.
Cicil secured third prize in the in the flower arrangement section of Flower Show 2011 held recently in the city. “My aim is to fetch a state award in floriculture,” says the agriprenuer, who got best farmer awards from the Agriculture Department in the Krishi Bhavan and at the district levels for vegetable farming.
( The New Indian Express, City Express, 2011)
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