India's Highest Commercial Lilium Cultivation Begins in Ladakh’s Choglamsar

India's highest commercial Lilium cultivation begins in Ladakh's Choglamsar

Leh, July 16

According to a press release, 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.

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. At present, India's highest flower field is located at an altitude of 3200 meters at Mana in Uttarakhand, while the Choglamsar flower park sits at an altitude of nearly 3265 meters.

As per the release, the project is being implemented with scientific and technical support from the CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT), Palampur. LG, Vinai Kumar Saxena had laid the foundation of the Choglamsar flower field on June 22.

The project aims to produce premium Lilium flowers and buds that command high prices in national and international markets and thus, create a new, sustainable source of income for Ladakh's farming community, through self-help groups and cooperatives.

This initiative is aligned with Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation, Amit Shah's vision of "Sahkar se Samriddhi" that seeks to strengthen the cooperatives for creating sustainable local employment and enhancing income of the local communities, particularly women and farmers, engaged in the cooperatives, said the release.

Conceived by LG Saxena, the project aims at positioning Ladakh as an emerging centre of premium floriculture, while opening access to high-value domestic and international flower markets. This flower field will also emerge as a new recreational destination for tourists.

Under the project, the Agriculture department, in the first year, will develop the flower field and at the time of bloom, will transfer it to the selected Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and cooperative societies. The department will handhold the SHGs and the cooperatives with marketing of the flowers in the 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.

As per the release, Ladakh offers ideal agro-climatic conditions for Lilium cultivation. The bulbs perform exceptionally well under cold climatic conditions - between minus 4 degree and 4 degree - making them naturally suited to the region's high-altitude environment. An important advantage of Lilium cultivation is that in three years, the bulbs begin to multiplying naturally, significantly enhancing future production and increasing farmers' returns without any additional investment.

"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. Our vision is to transform Ladakh into a high-altitude floriculture hub, where scientific cultivation, value addition and market linkages generate sustainable livelihoods for local communities. This initiative will not only diversify agriculture but also empower Self-Help Groups, cooperatives and young entrepreneurs through high-value floriculture," said LG 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 Rs 150 to Rs 200 per stick in domestic retail markets.

— ANI