Status of floricultural business and marketing in India – a comprehensive report
R.K. Roy
Book of Abstracts.International Conference on Quality Management in Supply Chains of Ornamentals. 21-24 February, 2012. Golden Tulip Sovereign Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.
2012
บทคัดย่อ
India is bestowed with varied agro-climatic conditions congenial for growing various types of flowers and ornamental plants. Floriculture is a priority sector in India considering its commercial potentiality and the advancement made by adopting new imported technologies for production. Meticulous planning under Five Year Plans, especially in the current one (2007-11), by allocation of funds and liberalization of policies have made possible floriculture a vibrant new commercial sector. The recent thrust on protected cultivation by adopting latest technologies and selecting internationally recognized cultivar of flowers has made complete transformation of floriculture in India. Setting up of agri-export zones, technology parks, greenhouses, warehouses at international airports are the positives steps have already been taken up for strengthening this sector. Rose, carnation, lilium, gerbera, anthurium, orchids has become very popular cut-flowers both for domestic and export purpose. Nevertheless, entrepreneurship on commercial production of flowers and tissue cultured plantlets has also been started. There is a huge domestic consumption of flowers. Gladiolus, rose, tuberose, marigold, chrysanthemum, amaryllis, crossandra, hibiscus, crinum are abundantly produced in open cultivation having huge acreage (1,67,921 ha.) and production. India produces about 9.8 million tones of loose flowers and 47,942 millions of cut flowers (with stem) annually (2009-10) being second largest produces after China. Gerbera, rose, lilium, anthurium, orchids are the popular cut-flowers grown under poly-houses / green houses. Floral markets in India are not very well organized. Majority of the markets are unregulated having no proper infrastructure, mostly open house / makeshift markets. However, metropolitan cities and other big ones have proper auction centres and perform as regulated markets. Information system on demand and supply, rates and future scope are broadcasted or accessed by the farmers or community centres of the rural areas through electronic and print media. The prospect of floricultural business and marketing is bright and progressing very fast. If everything goes well, India will be a strong floricultural production and business centre in near future.