Chitrakoot : Under the joint aegis of the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, and the Deendayal Research Institute, Chitrakoot, a one-day training program on marigold cultivation, care, and disease prevention was organised for the first time at Arogyadham, Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday under the CSIR-Floriculture Mission Phase 2.

Over 30 beneficiaries from various regions of Chitrakoot participated and received training. This is an initiative to establish a new enterprise through floriculture in Chitrakoot. The CSIR-NBRI Lucknow team distributed one lakh marigold saplings in selected states under the Floriculture Mission.

The program was conducted by Dr. Manoj Tripathi, Senior Research Officer at Deendayal Research Institute. Dr. Tripathi stated that Chitrakoot is a religious city where devotees visit and perform worship, requiring flowers, with marigolds being a primary choice.

Approximately 5 quintals of flowers are needed daily in Chitrakoot. Thus, this training is highly relevant today, as floriculture is a good source of income for farmers and offers opportunities for youth to adopt it as a means of employment.

Dr. Puneet Singh Chauhan (Senior Principal Scientist, NBRI), while explaining the objective of the training, said that he is the coordinator for the Floriculture Mission in Madhya Pradesh and is delighted to start this mission from Chitrakoot. Dr. Chauhan emphasised that the goal is to ensure additional income for farmers through flowers and to encourage today’s youth to take up floriculture as a source of employment.

Dr. Sushil Kumar (Senior Scientist) and Dr. Sumit Kumar Yadav (Senior Technical Officer) provided detailed information on marigold cultivation to the farmers.

They explained that marigold farming is very easy, requires low investment, and yields high returns. They assured the farmers, saying, “Start farming; we are with you. We will provide all the technical knowledge you need.”

In the concluding session, Devendra Bhadauria (CEO, Vindhyanchal FPO, Gwalior) stated in his address that farmers are earning an additional income of 2-3 lakh rupees per year through marigold cultivation, so farmers should start this work without hesitation.

Bhadauria also mentioned that Deendayal Research Institute is progressing under the able guidance of Abhay Mahajan, and urged farmers to work with confidence, assuring them that the institute stands with them.