OOTY: A ride through the Hangala sector on the Karnataka side of the Nilgiris-Karnataka border along the Ooty-Mysuru NH would make one enjoy the gorgeous beauty of the bloom of sunflowers in acres of lands. It has turned out to be an tourist attraction now as the sunflowers are a visual treat with their sprightly yellow.
The farmers in Hangala belt said that the sunflowers, known for its oil wealth in their seeds, fetch around Rs 4,000 per quintal and it is a ‘prosperous crop’ that always bring good tidings to the farmers.
While Hangala-Gudulpet (Karnataka) sector is just a few kilometers away from Mudumalai Tiger Reserve(MTR) in Nilgiris bordering Karnataka, eminent botanists of the view that sunflower cultivation in the lower plateau around MTR in Nilgiris should be encouraged to give a boost to agriculture and horticulture and make this a cash-crop for tribal farmers in the MTR fringes.
Pointing that Sunflower is also a cold weather loving crop which is of South-American origin, Dr S. Rajan, Field Botanist at the central Ayush research wing here, said that the agro-climatic conditions, and the soil wealth in Masinagudi, Singara, Siriyoor, Vazhaithottam, Thengumarahada and even in the low-lying areas of Kotagiri hills in Nilgiris are the best suitable locales to cultivate sunflower in large quantities in Nilgiris.
“Since in the aforesaid locales are dominated by the tribes, the government can encourage tribal farmers to take to sunflower cultivation to bring them year round income, besides, making the sunflower fields a different sort of tourist attraction. Since, the wild animals do not eat sunflowers, it is good, if fillip is given for sunflower cultivation in the lower plateau in Nilgiris to pave way for oil extraction units to sprout to bring job opportunities to hill residents,” he suggested.
