High European demand spurs flower exports

The floriculture sector is blooming in the country thanks to increased demand from European countries for fresh flowers such as Dutch roses, gerbera and carnation. After Bangalore, Kolkata and Pune, fresh flowers from Surat and Navasari districts in the southern region of Gujarat are creating a splash there.

Exporters of potpourri and dried flower are witnessing good growth in business. However, the lack of good infrastructure facilities is a big hindrance. Farmers and exporters feel that more pack-house facilities will improve business.

"Business volumes are rising and this is indicated by the increase in the number of commercial projects in Surat and Navasari districts. Ours was the first commercial farming unit of floriculture in the south Gujarat region in 2003. Now there are more than 64 such projects in these two districts. The area under floriculture has reached 50 hectares from a mere 6 hectares in 2003. Many farmers are now lured to floriculture because of its export potential," said Kumar Patel, director, Best Roses Bio-Tech, an export-oriented unit based in Navasari.

However, according to 2007 state government figures, the floriculture area in Gujarat is 70-80 hectares.

"Major flowers grown in south Gujarat include Dutch roses, gerbera and carnation. Lilies are also grown in Navasari district but they are domestically consumed as it is a highly perishable flower which lasts only one day. Each hectare produces 15-20 lakh flowers. India mainly exports to European countries including The Netherlands, Germany, the UK, Italy, France. The Netherlands consumes 50 per cent of the total exports," Patel said.

"Markets from new countries are also opening up. Recently, European countries such as Switzerland, Sweden and Norway have started importing flowers from India. However, farmers should not follow the trend blindly. Floriculture requires particular climate and soil and so it is advisable for the farmers to conduct proper research before investing large sums," Patel added.

He has invested Rs 15 crore in his 6- hectare facility with 12 greenhouses, 3000 sq feet packing facility with climate control and another 3000 sq feet facility to store flowers at 18 degrees Celsius temperature.

Floriculture business is also flourishing in other states like Karnataka, West Bengal and Maharashtra.

"The demand from the UK is increasing and there is substantial possibilities of growth in floriculture. Potential market of the UK is not fully tapped. Interestingly, newer markets in Asia itself are also opening for Indian flowers like Singapore. West Asia is also a potential market for Dutch roses grown in India," said, Abhishek Dey Sarkar, owner of Advent Exim, Kolkata whose firm exports fresh and cut flowers globally.

"However, the major hindrance in floriculture business is lack of proper infrastructure. More and better storage and pack-house facilities are required. Bangalore has some good infrastructure and it should be repeated elsewhere also. West Bengal has a large potential to export more fresh and dried flowers to the European countries." About 35 per cent of the total flower exports go to the UK, he added.

According to industry sources last year, India exported flowers worth more Rs 80 crore. Agreeing for the need to have better infrastructure facilities, Kumar Patel said, "More pack-houses should come up in the state so that farmers who also cultivate flower can tap the export market."

Potpourri market is yet to be fully tapped. "Major markets of Potpourri are the US, Canada Australia as well as the Europe. There is a large export potential of dried flowers and potpourri in these countries. As per my experience, around 65 per cent of India's total potpourri exports are consumed by the US and Canada and the rest of it goes to Australia," said, H Ramesh, MD, Indian Botanical Products,Tirupur, a firm which manufactures and exports dried flowers and potpourri.