Leh, Sep 17: The world’s highest-altitude twin flower fields were dedicated to the people of Ladakh on Thursday as Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena inaugurated the facility at Choglamsar and Stakna in Leh on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birth anniversary.
Located at an altitude of around 10,600 feet, the twin flower fields have been developed across nearly 40 acres and comprise more than 25 lakh high-value flowers, including around 24 lakh Lilium and one lakh Gladiolus. The initiative marks a major push towards commercial floriculture and agricultural diversification in the Union Territory.
The flower fields are aimed at creating an alternative source of livelihood for farmers while increasing their income through high-value floriculture. The project is also expected to generate opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment and strengthen the rural economy by connecting local production with domestic and international flower markets.
Officials said the project is the first experiment of such a large scale in Ladakh’s high-altitude conditions and its successful implementation could pave the way for replicating the model in other parts of the Union Territory.
The Choglamsar flower field was developed in a record two months, with plantations beginning on July 16 and the first blooms appearing in the first week of September. At Stakna, a plantation of nearly 14 lakh Lilium began in August, while the first blooms are expected towards the end of October.
The Choglamsar facility will also function as a demonstration and training centre for farmers and youth, providing them exposure to scientific floriculture, modern cultivation techniques and post-harvest management. Lilium, Gladiolus, Tulips and other ornamental flowers with demand in national and international markets will be cultivated at the facility.
Under the project, the Agriculture Department will initially develop the flower fields and, at the time of bloom, transfer them to selected self-help groups and cooperative societies. The department will also provide handholding support to the groups for marketing their produce and improving returns.
From the following year, the cooperatives are expected to undertake commercial cultivation, harvesting and value addition of Lilium flowers themselves, creating a sustainable community-based floriculture model in Ladakh.
Lilium, one of the major flowers being cultivated under the project, commands a premium in the market and currently fetches around ₹60–70 per stick in wholesale markets, while retail prices are higher. The administration hopes that commercial cultivation at the local level will allow farmers to benefit from the growing market for high-value flowers.
Speaking at the inauguration, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said the initiative was aimed at sowing the seeds of new livelihoods, skills and opportunities for the people of Ladakh.
He said the flower garden would serve not only as a cultivation facility but also as a training and demonstration centre, enabling farmers and youth to learn modern farming practices and explore floriculture as a viable commercial activity.
