In January 2000, Pillai and his friends Prof Ravi Kumar and K.K. Joy came together to form the Parur Taluk Pushpa Krishi Vikasana Samithy. Flower trade in the state was then controlled by merchants from Coimbatore and Theni. They informed the flower retailers in the district that they could negotiate with them instead of the merchants from Tamil Nadu.
This cooperative soon grew into the Ernakulam District Pushpa Karshaka Swashraya Sangham and it virtually controls the jasmine business in the district. Says Pillai: "When I first took it up as a post-retirement pastime, I never thought it would become a successful cooperative venture. Even a family with just three cents (100 cents is one acre) of land can grow 100 plants and get an annual income of at least Rs 7,500 a year."
In a state where employment is hard to come by, jasmine cultivation has come as a boon to many. It augments the family income considering that many graduates earn as little as Rs 1,000 a month on casual jobs. Former naval dockyard employee E.C. Satheeshan took up the flower business after he lost his job. "I was initially sceptical whether the returns would be adequate enough to justify my labour. I’ve no regrets. My net profit last year was Rs 32,000. Now I have 400 plants and provide part-time employment to three people. Credit for my venture goes to the samithy." Similarly, Arun, a plus two student, earns an average of Rs 1,000 a month from jasmine plucking and knitting garlands in his spare time. "I’m able to lessen the burden on my parents now."
What makes jasmine cultivation attractive is that unlike other wonder crops, it requires little investment in terms of time and money.
Growers soon started getting a price in the range of Rs 80-200 for a kilo of jasmine. The Ernakulam district cooperative bank also saw an opportunity in lending to jasmine growers. Local panchayats too chipped in by way of a grant of Rs 50 per sapling.
The quality of the locally grown jasmine clinched the business for the local cultivators. Flowers from Tamil Nadu used to arrive only late in the afternoon whereas the Parur society was able to collect the flowers early morning and reach it to the vendors by 9 am. Soon the society opened its own stalls, providing quality flowers.
The humble jasmine does not bring in the megabucks like vanilla. But it suits families that own small patches of land, especially in Kerala where land holdings have got fragmented over the years. Jasmine gives a high yield, grows well in temperate climate and starts budding in 5 months. An average life span of a plant is 15 years.
Last year, the turnover from 60 acres of jasmine grown in 1,200 homesteads, was Rs 31 lakh. Pillai and Kumar are being increasingly sought by farmers from other parts of the state. More than their expertise in growing jasmine, it’s their self-taught lessons in procurement, sales and market intervention that has made them successful.
"There is also a burgeoning export market," says Tom Nicholson, an entrepreneur who dropped in to consult Pillai on planting jasmine in his vast acres. He has made his millions from vanilla and is keen to diversify.
For details contact: Sree Ragam, Vazhikulangara, North Parur, Ernakulam—68513, Tel: (0484) 2444321, 3942390, 2447840, 3942418.
