Wilting demand for motia flowers endangers livelihoods

HYDERABAD: A group of women pick the buds of motia (Arabian Jasmine) in the gardens of Hatri neighbourhood, while men collect the picked product and cover it with wet gunny bags to maintain freshness and fragrance.

Summer is the season when these flowers bloom. The picking season begins in March and continues till September. After the end of the motia season in October, another variety dello starts pouring in the market, which also belongs to the Arabian Jasmine family.

Hatri neighbourhood lies near the catchment area of the Indus River, which is famous for producing a variety of flowers.

Majeed Mallah, a florist of said motia was produced in small gardens in the neighbourhood. The prices in the local market range from Rs50 per kilo to Rs300/kg, depending on the season and demand.

Mallah, who has been working with flowers and recognises growth patterns, said the daily productivity of motia increased by 50-60 kg/acre in the first quarter of the moon each month. The amount of moonlight at different times also influences plant growth.

“The moonlight influences plants, giving energy. After the full moon declines in the second quarter the productivity reduces to 50 percent because of slowdown in energy,” he explained.

Explaining the difference between motia and other flowers in terms of marketing value, he said people demanded motia buds, whereas they asked for the flower in case of other species. “So, the farmers do not wait for the bloom and instead take the buds to sell in the market,” Mallah said, while telling that the motia flower was used for herbal products.

In the past, people consumed motia juice or sharbat, prepared by leading herbal manufacturing factories across the province. The sharbat was well-liked because of the fragrance and taste, and was often consumed in summer to beat the heat.

However, over time many herbal factories were shutdown due to various reasons which also affected the demand for motia flowers. Herbal factories bought motia flowers in bulk to prepare the sharbat and other medicines.

Since the fall in demand, traditional farmers were reluctant about establishing new gardens or expanding older ones.

Previously, many traders also used to collect this product for drying, which was exported to other countries, but that demand too has declined.

Elderly florists said that Hyderabad city suburbs were the main flower producing areas, which have now been urbanised due to sprawl.

Nevertheless, the neighbourhoods around Hyderabad still house around 400 acres of motia gardens, where hundreds of men and women work to make a living.

Despite these challenges some farmers remain optimistic and continue to keep the tradition alive. They prepare nurseries for developing gardens of motia and other flowers on their pieces of land. A one acre garden requires 1,100 plants, which produces 50-60/kg daily of quality products.

Manzoor Kalhoro, who manages a flower nursery near Hyderabad city, said he could not understand why the demand of buying motia plants for homes and offices has declined. He said mostly flower nurseries prefer to keep a variety of ornamental plants instead of motia.

Back in the day, one would see many motia flower gardens near the fast growing city, now one sees the starkness of concrete everywhere. Urbanisation has happened without much care. Still, managers of flower nurseries prefer to produce gulab, dello, and lily etc for business. “Everybody wants to do business and earn a little amount through these plants and varieties. But for the last few years the demand has been declining sadly,” he said.

Remembering traditional practices, Kalhoro said people used to decorate beds and rooms with a variety of flowers; motia was the dominating flower back then because of its fragrance. Motia petals were also used for birth control, “now things have changed”.

Other changes in motia cultivation include the use of pesticides. Growers never used pesticides in motia gardens in the past, but now they do so to avoid crop diseases, which sometimes destroy the product during picking, Kalhoro added.

Motia flowers are sensitive. Their quality can only be maintained for up to 12 hours by using web gunny bags. Afterwards, the flowers wilt and market value is lost.

Florists believe that Hyderabad district contributes around 70 percent flowers to the national market. These flower gardens provide employment to a large number of people, both men and women who get hired for picking, packing, transporting and taking care of plants.

The area also produces tulips, marigold, tuberose, glendora and other seasonal flowers, which the market demands. Emerging challenges faced by the gardens as well as the associated workforce include uncertain demand patterns and prices.