Araku Valley’s Blooming Valise Flowers Hiding Untapped Business

The sight of Valise flowers lining the roads welcomes tourists, along with fog-covered hills and shimmering silver clouds that add to the valley’s ethereal beauty, natural splendour and pleasant weather.

Valise blooms are not just a spectacle. They campaign Araku’s identity, extending a living invitation to celebrate the valley’s heritage. Every flower field becomes a banner of pride, every mist-laden hill a call to preserve and promote the region’s beauty.

Tourists from across Andhra Pradesh, including Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Godavari districts, are arriving in large numbers to witness the lush fields of Valise flowers. Local photographer Sanjeep Kumar Sahu says visitors are also exploring nearby attractions, including the Tribal Cultural Museum, Padmavati Garden Centre and the famous Borra Caves.

While domestic tourism is thriving, Gauri Shankar, tourism manager at Borra Caves, points out a notable absence of foreign tourists this year, a contrast to previous seasons when international travellers added to the valley’s diverse visitors.

Valise flowers are not just a visual delight, they are a popular backdrop for selfies and social media posts. Yet, for farmers of the Agency, they are a growing concern. They are reconsidering cultivation of Valise flowers due to the absence of oil mills in the region. Without proper processing facilities, the full economic value of the Valise crop is remaining untapped.

M. Jagadish, a health worker from a farming family, warns that unless the state government and Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) work toward establishing mills to extract Valise oil, the flowers may vanish from the valley’s fields.

Underlining the link between tourism and agriculture, farmers are urging the government to encourage cultivation of Valise flowers with free seed distribution, establishment of oil mills, and marketing support for Valise flower oil. They assert Valise flower fields can enhance the valley’s appeal, while providing sustainable livelihoods.

By aligning tourism with agricultural development, the region can secure both economic growth and cultural continuity, farmers underline.