Mogali flowers’ output falls steeply in Srikakulam due to insufficient rains

Visakhapatnam: Production of fragrant Mogali Puvvu – Pandanus odorifer or screw pine flower– in Srikakulam district has declined significantly, causing a major loss to farmers and traders.

These aromatic flowers, which are collected from June to January, yield “Ruh,” an oil that costs over ₹19 lakh per litre. However, lack of rainfall during the season has severely impacted Mogali puvvu’s cultivation, affecting the livelihood of farmers.

Sompeta mandal agricultural officer B. Narasimha Murty told Deccan Chronicle, “Extreme weather conditions, including low rainfall, storms and strong winds, have caused extensive damage to these indigenous aromatic plants.”

Uddanam region of Srikakulam district is the centre for collection of screw-pine flowers for industrial purposes. The flower extract is used in manufacturing perfumes. Distillation units steam the flowers to extract from it the Ruh oil, which is stored in separate containers.

Burujupadu deputy sarpanch Dunna Janakiram, who sells screw pine flowers, told Deccan Chronicle, “The extracted Ruh oil commands high prices, ranging from ₹19 lakh and above per litre. Traders from cities, such as Kannoj, Kanpur, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur and Calcutta purchase screw pine flowers from us.”

The screw-pine plant is indigenous to Polynesia, Australia, South Asia and the Philippines. It also thrives in southern India and Burma. Within AP, it is grown in coastal areas of Srikakulam in Ichchapuram, Kaviti, Kanchili, Sompeta and Mandasa mandals.

According to Kaviti sarpanch Pudi Lakshmana Rao, these flowers are cultivated over 6,000 hectares, often intercropped with coconut plantations in the Uddanam region. Screw-pine plants serve as natural barriers for fields. “Since screw pine is not classified as a crop, farmers lack formal guidance in their cultivation. Moreover, in case the Mogali puvvu crop is lost or damaged, government provides no compensation,” Lakshmana Rao pointed out.

Harvesting of screw-pine flowers presents numerous challenges. The flowers bloom on branches amid spiny leaves that pose risk of injury. Snakes and bears populate the area where these flowers grow in the wild, heightening the danger for flower collectors.

Farmers who cultivate the crop indicate that the effort required for harvesting does not yield proportionate financial returns, as they have no distillation units. They advocate recognition of Mogali puvvu as a commercial crop and establishing of distillation units, which would help people in the region find employment.

Normally, over 100 lorry loads of flowers are produced in the Kaviti and Kanchili areas alone. This year, the production had been fewer than 30 loads, said Ch. Yallamma, sarpanch of Mandasa.