The development of India’s highest commercial Lilium cultivation field has commenced at Leh’s Choglamsar, marking the beginning of a first-of-its-kind floriculture initiative of this scale in Ladakh, aimed at creating new avenues of livelihood through floriculture.
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Over the last three days, more than 50 thousand premium Lilium bulbs have already been planted at the flower field, with the first bloom expected around the first week of September this year.
Its foundation was laid by lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on June 22.
Spread over an area of 93,000 square metres, the Choglamsar Flower Field, on the banks of River Sindhu, is being developed as one of the largest organised high-altitude floriculture parks in the country.
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The project is being implemented with scientific and technical support from the CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT), Palampur.
The project aims to produce premium Lilium flowers and buds that command high prices in national and international markets, thus creating a new, sustainable source of income for Ladakh’s farming community through self-help groups and cooperatives.
Under the project, the agriculture department will develop the flower field in the first year and transfer it to the selected Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and cooperative societies at the time of bloom. The department will handhold the SHGs and the cooperatives with marketing the flowers in national and international markets for maximum returns. Subsequently, from the next year, the cooperatives will themselves undertake commercial cultivation, harvesting and value addition of the Lilium flowers. For this, local farmers are being given structured training in scientific floriculture, modern cultivation practices and establish floriculture as a viable commercial enterprise.
“Ladakh’s climate, which is often seen as a challenge, is in fact one of our greatest strengths. By introducing commercial cultivation of Lilium, we are opening a completely new avenue of income for our farmers, women and youth,” said Saxena.
Lilium is one of the world’s most sought-after cut flowers because of its exceptional ornamental value and longer shelf life. The flowers are widely used in the floral industry and hospitality sector, with premium varieties priced between ₹150 to ₹200 per stick in domestic retail markets.
