The horticulture department is encouraging farmers to adopt flower regulation, or Bahar treatment, to address the mismatch between harvesting and market demand. The objective is to regulate flowering so that harvesting coincides with periods of strong market demand, enabling lemon farmers to secure better prices.

The department recommends moisture-stress treatment or the use of growth regulators such as Gibberellic acid, Cycocel and Potassium Nitrate. Under the chemical method, Gibberellic acid is applied during June-July, Cycocel in September and Potassium Nitrate in October to regulate vegetative growth and promote flowering at the desired time.

The department has been conducting demonstrations in farmers’ orchards to familiarise growers with the technique. The government is also extending a 50 per cent subsidy on plant growth regulators, assistant director of horticulture M.V. Subba Reddy said.

For Podalakur’s lemon farmers, the present situation highlights the mismatch between production and market demand, with prices high when the orchards have little fruit. The focus is now on ensuring that the crop reaches the market when demand and prices are at their peak.