Vizag Nursery Pioneers New-For-Old Plant Exchange Programme

Visakhapatnam: In what appears to be a first-of-its-kind initiative in Visakhapatnam city, a nursery at Gopalapatnam Rythu Bazaar is offering to exchange old plants for new ones with a view to promote the habit of growing plants among people.

The exchange offer had been started by Mohammad Fasi Ur Rahman and his brother. Says Rahman: "The main objective is to encourage the younger generation to consider gardening as a serious hobby. Many get disheartened when plants they nurture become dull or do not appear as healthy as they expect them to be."

The nursery owner launched the exchange programme several months ago after realising that indoor plants, flowering varieties, and fruit-bearing species grown at home may lose their vitality over time.

Customers bring their old plants. Rahman evaluates their condition and health. The customers can choose a new sapling of the same plant or another. Customers only pay the differential amount.

For example, a customer may return a plant valued at ₹20. S/he wants a rose plant priced at ₹60. The customer pays ₹40 for the exchange.

The initiative has proven popular, as people have started visiting the exchange corner. Many who come to the Rythu Bazaar for their daily vegetables are getting drawn to the plant exchange service.

Rahman has ensured sustainability by not discarding the exchanged plants. Instead, revival efforts are undertaken using improved soil and specialised techniques. Once restored to health, these plants are made available for resale.

Beyond the exchange programme, Rahman and his brother have expanded their vision to include agritourism. They have leased 13 acres of land from local tribals near Lambasingi in Chintapalli mandal of Alluri Sitarama Raju district. They have started the cultivation project over 10 acres, which has started yielding varieties of flowers, including marigold, zinnia and gazania, sourced from Jammu, Srinagar, Pune and Bangalore.

"Tourists from far-off places come to Lambasingi only for two or three months during the winter season. We are developing our agritourism project to attract them throughout the year," Rahman said.

The nursery currently stocks 85 varieties of plants.

Plant varieties:

Ornamental cabbage (scientific name: Brassica oleracea)

Dianthus, commonly called pinks or carnations

Zinnia flowers

Orange calendula flowers, commonly called pot marigold

African marigold

Orange-coloured marigold

Gazania

Marigold tennis ball

Antronium

English daisies, commonly called Chandani

Chrysanthemums