18 Aug Driven by her passion for flowers and driven by determination, Pushpa turned her dream into reality

Pushpa made her dream come true, she is an inspiration for other women in the village. She loves flowers and has long wanted to get into floriculture. Today, through her determination and perseverance, she is paving the way for economic advancement by adopting sustainable agro-ecological practices in floriculture which has become a thriving new sector in the state of Jharkhand.

The Self-help group was formed in 2016, under the supervision of the Amar Jyoti Society (AJS) team that we support and Pushpa was elected president of the group. The group works very well, it has 10 members. The women come from the same background and they have united to solve their problems and improve their living conditions. Initially, the group focused on savings and inter-lending activities in order to develop its autonomy and reduce its dependence on financial institutions. The women’s families, who were initially against the SHG idea, slowly started supporting them. They realized the usefulness of the group which helps the family by granting them loans in case of emergency and need. Today, women can freely attend their weekly meetings and save regularly. Earlier, their weekly collection was 5 rupees, now it has increased to 20 rupees.

Pushpa loves flowers and has wanted to get into floriculture for a long time. Her husband, knowing her abilities and commitment, supported her. Last year, she requested a greenhouse for floriculture at the town office. Thanks to regular monitoring by Amar Jyoti’s team, her proposal was accepted.

She received help from the horticulture department in the form of technical support and grants. The greenhouse was installed on her land and she received 300 gerbera plants to plant. The local office has also set up an irrigation system. Her husband helps her with planting, picking and selling.

The flowers have grown and Pushpa and her husband sell them in the market. The AJS team also helped her find buyers in Ranchi. Most of the products are purchased by local florists and businessmen. They also receive orders from customers for cut flowers and bouquets. Currently, gerberas are only white and pink. In the market, Pushpa, realized that the demand for gerberas was higher for the yellow and red versions, especially for wedding ceremonies.

She exclaimed: “Now I understand the needs of the market and I know in which season I will get more orders and better prices. I plan to plant 3,000 red and yellow gerberas.” She is very optimistic and hopes to earn a good income from her flower growing business. Previously, flowers were considered ornamental, today they are also considered a profitable business prospect. Many women from self-help groups are preparing to launch agricultural practices in the same spirit. Pushpa is very grateful to the AJS team for their support and guidance, which helped her realize her dream.