Leh, Sep 17 (PTI) Ladakh LG V K Saxena on Thursday inaugurated the world’s highest-altitude twin flower fields here, featuring more than 25 lakh high-value flowers across 40 acres, to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birth anniversary.
The flower fields at 10,600 feet high Choglamsar and Stakna comprise around 24 lakh Lilium and one lakh Gladiolus flowers, a Lok Bhavan spokesperson said, adding that the garden will be opened to the general public from September 18.
At the inauguration, Saxena said, besides serving as a recreational and educational space for residents and tourists, the flower fields will create an ecosystem where knowledge, skills and enterprises can grow.
“A key objective of the Flower Garden is to develop it as a training and demonstration centre for farmers and youth. The facility will provide exposure to modern cultivation techniques, scientific farming practices and improved post-harvest management,” he said.
The spokesperson said the flower garden was the first experiment of its size and nature at high altitude in Leh, and its successful execution had paved the way for replicating the model in other parts of Ladakh.
The Choglamsar flower field was developed in two months. Plantation began on July 16, and the first blooms appeared in the first week of September.
At Stakna, plantation of nearly 14 lakh Liliums began in August, with the first blooms expected around the end of October.
According to market rates, Lilium sells for Rs 60-70 per stick in wholesale markets, while retail prices are higher, the spokesperson said.
The Choglamsar flower park will function as a demonstration and model floriculture centre, where high-value flowers such as Lilium, Gladiolus, tulips and other ornamental species will be cultivated.
The project will create a sustainable source of income for Ladakh’s farming community through self-help groups (SHGs) and cooperatives, the spokesperson added.
Local farmers are being given structured training in scientific floriculture, modern cultivation practices and establishing floriculture as a viable commercial enterprise. PTI TAS SMV AMJ AMJ
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