Dry Spell Pushes Gum Flower Cultivation to Brink in Thondamuthur

A prolonged dry spell has left gum‑flower growers in Thondamuthur, Coimbatore district, on the edge of collapse. The Vadamalli (Glob Amaranth) farms, spanning more than 500 acres in Vadivelampalayam, Mugasimangalam, Molapalayam and Kalimangalam, are experiencing extensive wilting as the summer heat persists.

The plant normally matures in about 150 days, with flowers emerging after roughly 120 days – a timeline that aligns perfectly with the Onam festival market in Kerala. Despite its reputation for requiring less irrigation than many cash crops, the current scarcity of moisture has left the blossoms vulnerable.

Farmers calculate an average expense of ₹30,000 per acre, which includes land preparation, seed purchase, labor and ancillary costs. With irrigation infrastructure lacking in many parts of the block, the risk of financial loss has intensified.

R. Kartikeyan, a farmer from Vadivelampalayam, recounted the rapid decline: “The seedlings grew robustly at first, but the unrelenting drought has caused them to curl and dry. We had hoped that the monsoon would break soon, yet the fields have stayed dry for more than a week, and the plants continue to weaken.”

Animal intrusion has compounded the problem. According to S. Manikandan, wild boars that typically avoid the crop have started entering the fields due to food scarcity in nearby forests, damaging already stressed plants.

The water shortage has also taken a toll on ancillary crops such as maize, pigeon peas, beans and pumpkins cultivated alongside the flowers. Traders warn that a diminished supply of Onam blossoms from Coimbatore may push prices up in regional markets.

Growers have appealed to the Tamil Nadu government for an urgent damage assessment and financial relief, emphasizing the plight of marginal farmers whose earnings are tightly linked to this seasonal harvest.