LEH, SEPT 17: Ladakh on Thursday unveiled the world’s highest-altitude twin flower fields at Choglamsar and Stakna in Leh, with more than 25 lakh high-value flowers spread across 40 acres at an altitude of 10,600 feet, marking a major push towards commercial floriculture, agricultural diversification and alternative livelihoods for farmers.
Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena dedicated the twin flower fields to the people on Sewa Diwas, marking the 76th birth anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The fields comprise around 24 lakh Lilium and one lakh Gladiolus, making them not only the highest-altitude flower fields in the world but also the highest and largest such fields in the country.
The initiative, developed under the Agriculture Department, seeks to harness Ladakh’s unique climatic conditions and the growing demand for high-value flowers to create new avenues of income, entrepreneurship and rural economic development.
The Choglamsar flower field has been developed in a record two months. Plantation began on July 16 and the first blooms appeared in the first week of September.
At Stakna, plantation of nearly 14 lakh Liliums began in August, with the first bloom expected by the end of October.
The administration said the project will eventually be replicated in other parts of Ladakh.
The Choglamsar facility will function as a demonstration and model floriculture centre, where Lilium, Gladiolus, Tulips and other ornamental flowers will be cultivated for domestic and international markets.
According to the administration, Lilium currently commands a wholesale price of around ₹60–70 per stick, while retail prices are higher, indicating the potential for significant returns from commercial floriculture.
Under the model, the Agriculture Department will develop the flower fields during the first year and transfer them at the flowering stage to selected Self-Help Groups and cooperative societies.
The department will provide handholding support, including scientific cultivation, harvesting, marketing and value addition. From the following year, the cooperatives are expected to undertake commercial cultivation independently.
Local farmers and youth will also receive structured training in scientific floriculture, modern cultivation techniques and post-harvest management, with the flower garden being developed as a training and demonstration centre.
Inaugurating the facility, LG Saxena said the initiative was not merely about flower cultivation but about creating new livelihoods, skills and opportunities for the people of Ladakh.
He said the project would help farmers gain exposure to modern farming practices while opening avenues for employment and entrepreneurship.
The flower fields will also serve as a recreational and educational attraction for residents and tourists, creating an ecosystem around floriculture, knowledge and rural enterprise.
The Choglamsar Flower Garden will open to the public from September 18.
The administration has fixed an entry fee of ₹25 for adults and ₹10 for children, with the revenue to be used for the garden’s maintenance and upkeep.
