PATNA: With the National Horticulture Mission sanctioning Rs 70 lakh for a flower auction centre in Bihar, the state’s first such centre is all set to come up at Biharsharif in Nalanda district, 80 km from Patna.
To be developed on a sprawling 10-acre plot, the auction centre is likely to become operational from April. Under the NHM initiative, similar flower auction centres are running successfully in various states.
The Biharsharif centre would have eight greenhouses for production and preservation of flowers. The centre would serve as a common platform for flower producers, sellers and buyers as it would provide individual shops on lease to flower sellers.
Buyers can purchase flowers from this centre at normal market rates across the country. Infotech kiosks at the centre would provide rate updates of the day in various parts of the country. The centre would also provide facilities for transporting flowers.
“Scientists from Rajendra Agriculture University, Krishi Vigyan Kendra and the state horticulture department have together developed this project,” Patna district horticulture officer Nitesh Kumar said and added the auction centre would be equipped with facilities like cold storage, warehouse, salt water treatment, aluminium coil wrapping, and cupping system with growth hormones for flowers.
Once the project takes a proper shape, the flower auction centre would be managed on PPP (public-private partnership) basis. “There’s a proposal to develop such a flower auction centre in Patna’s Mithapur locality as well,” Kumar added.