Hopes in bloom

A Sikkimese daily carried a cartoon strip on its front page last February. Two honey bees look perplexed while a fellow bee is perched atop a flower, inebriated and moaning “Oh! My God”.

Flower to the People

An artists' collective stall at the flower show Photograph by: Sayantan Bera

Flower to the People

The International Flower Show showcased the states' organic mission in horticulture. Sikkim has introduced high value vegetables like broccoli, capsicum and tomatoes—grown organically. By 2015, the state is hoping to convert all its agricultural produce into certified organic Photograph by: Sayantan Bera

Flower to the People

Flower growers are organized into co-operative clusters, but economies of scale are still low to reap benefits. The hilly terrain makes it difficult for small farmers to access the market directly Photograph by: Sayantan Bera

Flower to the People

Small flower growers with one poly house make about Rs 30,000 in a year in cut flower sales. About 5,000 farmers have taken up cut flower production, mostly Cymbidium orchids, in Sikkim Photograph by: Sayantan Bera

Flower to the People

Cosmopolitan—a dwarf rhododendron variety developed in the United States—hopes to find a market in the lower Himalayas Photograph by: Sayantan Bera

Flower to the People

Spoilt for choice, a buyer takes her pick of flower seeds Photograph by: Sayantan Bera

Flower to the People

Florence Flora, an Indian company collaborating with international flower breeders sees lower himalayas as a thriving market for their saplings Photograph by: Sayantan Bera

Flower to the People

“Floriculture will have a catalytic effect on tourism—the biggest revenue earner for the people,” says Shailesh Pradhan, a niche nursery owner from the state capital of Gangtok. But the focus should be on indigenous and unique varieties of Sikkim rather than just hybrid varieties imported from countries like Holland, adds Pradhan Photograph by: Sayantan Bera

Flower to the People

Padam Subba, additional director in charge of floriculture, says Sikkim's climate is congenial for high value floriculture like Cymbidium orchids and that the domestic market within India holds immense potential for the land-locked state. Sikkim is now supplying flowers worth Rs 20 crores a year to different Indian cities like Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata Photograph by: Sayantan Bera