Kushagra Prasad, a 32-year-old PhD graduate from Badkhalsa village in Sonipat district, made the decision to resign from his role as an assistant professor of sociology at the National Law University in Sonipat to venture into lily farming, a pursuit that has proven to be significantly more lucrative.
For the past three years, Prasad has been enhancing the floriculture business that his father, Ravinder Mohan Dahiya, established nearly 15 years ago as a pioneer of lily farming in the area. Following his father’s death two years ago, Prasad assumed full control of the farm, currently overseeing 10 acres dedicated to lily cultivation, which generates nearly Rs 50 lakh annually, in addition to Rs 5 lakh from growing tomatoes on the same land.
Having earned his doctorate in sociology from Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University in Hisar, Prasad taught at the National Law University from 2019 to 2021. He attributes his shift in career to the more promising financial opportunities available in floriculture compared to academia. The lilies harvested from his farm are transported daily to Ghazipur Mandi in Delhi, one of Asia’s largest flower markets, ensuring consistent demand and substantial profits. The cultivation cycle commences with sowing in August, leading to blooms ready for harvesting by December and continuing until April. From April to July, tomatoes are cultivated on six acres of the same property while the remaining land is left fallow in rotation.
The financial aspects of lily farming are quite demanding, with costs approaching Rs 40 lakh per acre. A significant portion of this expenditure is attributed to importing high-quality bulbs from the Netherlands, alongside expenses related to transportation, packaging, and cold storage. Despite these high initial investments, Prasad reports average sales of Rs 45 lakh per acre, resulting in a net profit of approximately Rs 5 lakh per acre.
To assist farmers in managing these costs, the Haryana government offers substantial subsidies, covering 50-65% of the expenses for polyhouse construction and nearly 80% for drip irrigation installation. These incentives, coupled with Sonipat’s proximity to the National Capital Region, provide local farmers with a competitive advantage, enabling them to deliver flowers more swiftly and at lower prices compared to producers from Himachal Pradesh or southern states.
Prasad explains that lilies flourish in cool to moderate climates, ideally between 18 and 30 degrees Celsius, and benefit from the region’s naturally sandy loam soil, which promotes effective drainage and root growth. To ensure robust blooms, light irrigation via drip systems is applied every two to three days, depending on humidity and seasonal conditions.
Officials from the horticulture department have confirmed that several farmers in districts such as Sonipat, Panipat, Panchkula, and Jhajjar have significantly increased their lily farming areas in recent years, with some expanding from one acre to ten acres.
“With strong market connections to Delhi NCR, where flowers are supplied to hotels, event planners, government bodies, multinational corporations, and export houses for destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka, lily farming has emerged as one of the most profitable agricultural enterprises in Haryana,” Prasad stated.
Arjun Singh Saini, the head of the Haryana horticulture department, remarked, “Our farmers can offer their products at competitive prices compared to those from Himachal and southern states. The close proximity to the national capital is a significant advantage for our farmers.”
Sukhbir Siwach’s comprehensive coverage of the farmer protests against three agricultural laws during 2020-21 gained considerable attention.
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