TIRUNELVELI: Minister for
Local Administration, M K Stalin is likely to visit the
district on May 10 to lay the foundation stone for the flower
market to be established at Kavalkinaru Junction on the
Tirunelveli - Kanyakumari border, at a cost of Rs 10 crore.
Since the flowers being produced in Radhapuram and Nanguneri
taluks are known for their size and quality, the government
has decided to establish a flower market with cold storage
facility close to the National Highway.
The variety of flowers cultivated by the farmers here are
- Jasmine, Rose, Oleander, Cassandra, Southernwood, Bachelor’s
Buttons, Sampangi and Kozhikondai on over 5,000 acres.
The proposal for the flower market was moved by District
Collector G Prakash and Radhapuram MLA, M Appavoo after
the floriculturists of the district were forced to sell
their produce for a meager price to traders through middlemen.
After the proposal for the flower market was sent to the
State Government, a team of scientists from Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University, Coimbatore, inspected the spot and interacted
with the floriculturists.
They also assessed the total quantity and variety of flowers
received from this region, the quantity being transported
to Thiruvananthapuram market and the price being offered
for the produce etc.
In December 2007, Commissioner for Horticulture, Jagmohan
Singh Raju, had also inspected the proposed site and submitted
a detailed project to the State Government.
Based on the report, Minister for Agriculture, Veerapandi
S Arumugam, announced in the Assembly that the flower market
would be established. According to sources in the district
administration, Stalin would lay the foundation stone for
the project.
The work on the project is expected to commence immediately
after the foundation stone has been laid and the State Government
has decided to complete it and bring it to use before May
10, 2009, the source added.
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