| - By T V Satyanarayanan |
| "Judged by popularity, participation and visitor-turnout, Flora Expo has come a long way since its launch in 2005. On display at the 4th expo were not just flowers of various hues and shapes - from India and abroad - but the whole gamut of activities and products connected with commercial floriculture, landscaping and gardening. It provided a platform for growers, traders, importers, exporters and all flower and plant lovers. To quote Union Agriculture Secretary T. Nanda Kumar, the event has come to be regarded as an ''excellent showcase for Indian floriculture." |
 |
|
| An artistic floral globe perched on a towering column of greens and blooms of various hues and shapes. "It represents globalisation of floral trade," which is now close to 11 billion dollars, explained a representative of the National Horticulture Board at the organisation's eye-catching pavilion at the 4th International Flora Expo in New Delhi. The flowers at the pavilion - roses, carnations, gerbera, bird-ofparadise and a host of others-were contributed by over 500 flower farmers who are beneficiaries of the incentives offered by the Board to promote Indian floriculture. |
 |
The sprawling NSCI complex in the capital city took on a bewitching look of a fairyland of flowers and greens at the Expo, the fourth in the series, part of which were Floral Art Expo and the 3rd Landscape & Gardening Expo 2008. The grand event, which concluded on September 28, had in all 145 pavilions and stalls, each vying with one another to catch the eyes of flower and plant lovers - in thousands - who trooped in. Over a dozen pavilions were devoted to international participants, some of whom were represented by their Indian trade partners. In all 19 Indian states and flower growers associations from seven states, nurserymen, equipment manufacturers, landscaping companies and many others connected with flower and nursery trade displayed their products.
|
 |
|
Investment prospects : The focus was on attracting more and more investment to exploit in the next few years the estimated Rs. 10,000 crore business opportunity in Indian floriculture that can simultaneously create a million jobs in the rural areas. Surely, many factors are conducive for the growth of floriculture in India and to meet the growing needs of both domestic and export markets. "The Agriculture Ministry is happy that Flora Expo (series) has been an excellent showcase for Indian floriculture", noted Union Agriculture Secretary T. Nanda Kumar. He extended the ministry's full support to the efforts of the organizers. Addressing the concluding function of the Expo, he said the ministry's initiative of enhancing the budget for horticulture and floriculture has got a good response.
In the last few years there has been a quantum jump in floriculture and "We are ready for the next big leap forward." The Secretary conceded that infrastructure is a constraint, but the government is addressing that problem seriously in a coordinated effort. One way to get over the infrastructure constraints is the clusterbased approach. He complimented the North-eastern and many other states, working and promoting NHM and TMNE schemes, for doing well in floriculture despite the logistics and infrastructure problems. A piece of advice to the nursery industry; Focus on giving quality seed and planting material to the growers. NHM and TMNE are playing a catalyst role in the promotion of commercial floriculture as a lucrative venue for small and marginal farmers through state Horticulture Missions. This is also reflected in the expo thro' active participation by states and mobilization of farmers. The state participation this time revealed a professional approach to designing of pavilions, retaining an ethnic look of the state.
Marked growth : Commercial floriculture has come a long way in India since it started taking roots in mid-nineties when it was considered a very expensive activity, noted Horticulture Commissioner Dr M L Choudhary. Now thanks to government's efforts many farmers' associations have come up. The cooperative approach is particularly evident in north-eastern states from where flowers like anthurium and chrysanthemum are being exported to countries like Japan. Indian flowers have good acceptance in Holland as well.
Dr. Choudhary commended the efforts of Media Today in conceptualizing and organizing an Expo of Indian Floriculture serving the industry. The Union Agriculture Ministry has been giving full support to the Expo series which began in 2005. Touching on flower exports, S Dave, Director of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), said India's flower exports have now touched Rs. 600 crore. Indian flowers are reaching 150 countries. APEDA is doing much to improve the infrastructure for flower trade and to spread good agricultural practices among the growers. Several flower auction centres are now scheduled to come up.
Dave favoured Flora Expo being organized as an annual event, with various states hosting the event. The Expo was organised by Media Today Group, a Delhi-based agro-based publication chain and event management enterprise, and i-Flora (Indian Flowers & Ornamental Plants Welfare Association). The monthly magazine, Floriculture Today, is published by this group. The event enjoyed the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, APEDA, under the Ministry of Commerce, National Horticulture Board, National Horticulture Mission, Technology Mission for the North-east and all active floriculture and nursery associations in India.
Rise in flower consumption : M B Naqvi, Chief Coordinator of the event, said delegations and trade visitors from a number of countries were present, because the theme of the Expo had something to stimulate all participants. Boosting per capita income, changing lifestyles, mall culture, and many more feel-good factors are giving a definite push to per capita consumption of flowers and plants in India. The international trade in floriculture is also large, estimated to grow to 16 billion dollars in the next few years from about 11 billion dollars at present. Members of farmers' associations from a number of states visited various pavilions and they exchanged notes with experts and others and talked to suppliers on a host of inputs and floral accessories. The holding of the International Landscape & Gardening Expo as part of this show was significant as a new urbanisation revolution has dawned in India with the focus on "green living" concepts. This has opened a new era for ornamental plants and nursery industry that supplies trees, greens and plants for urban development. One of the popular pavilions at the Expo was that of West Bengal Nursery Association displaying a wide range of plants and planting material. Sales were brisk at this and other nursery stall counters. In landscaping, Delhi Municipal Corporation put up an impressive display to elaborate on its slogan, 'Green Delhi, Clean Delhi.' The tastefully-done up Andhra Pradesh pavilion focused both on landscaping and floral display.
Floral art : Floral Art was also part of the show and one of the participants from abroad was the Floral Art Society of Pakistan, A member of World Association of Flower Arrangers, the society is committed towards promotion of floral art, said its president Shahimah Sayeed. Prominent in the floral art section was Kolkata-based Pushpa Bitan Friendship Society, a group of enthusiastic flower lovers spreading the art of flower arrangement, floristry, bonsai, gardening and associated art forms. A member of the World Association of Flower Arrangers, the society regularly participates in various world events. "There is a lot of friendship through the common love of flowers," says Kavita Poddar, President of the friendship society. The three-day expo drew huge crowds - an estimated 85,000 members of the public and 55,000 trade visitors. School children in hundreds trooped in on all the days, jostling along the green ambience and viewing in wide-eyed wonder the beauty of floral arrangements.
The spotlight of the state pavilions was mainly on display of their vast floral wealth. Among the pavilions drawing large crowds were those of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh, while Kerala sought to steal the show by offering new products like ornamental pineapple and 'snake rattles". The Jammu and Kashmir pavilion displayed its specialty production techniques of lilium bulbs, flower seeds, cut green aromatic oils and dry flowers. The centre of attraction at the Tamil Nadu pavilion was a model of a heritage train, made of flowers and greens. The Karnataka pavilion presented its traditional floral art in full splendour. Karnataka's Horticulture Commissioner G K Vasanth Kumar, who formally declared the pavilion open to visitors, said, "We are now trying to promote our traditional flowers in Holland, the world floriculture hub." He spoke about the specialty flowers of the state like Mysore and Udipi jasmines, which need to be popularised. The new airport in Bangalore and the new flower auction centre would give a big boost to flower exports. Women's power was to the fore at the pavilions of north-eastern states like Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. Flowers like anthurium displayed artistically in these pavilions were mostly products of farms run by women's cooperatives. Tripura made effective use of its bamboo wealth to lend an unique touch to its floral setting. Elsewhere, there was evidence of new emerging floriculture hubs in areas like South Gujarat, North Maharashtra, North Karnataka, hill areas of Tamil Nadu J&K, Uttarakhand, NE states and Himachal Pradesh. The focus of Haryana's Department of Horticulture, Panchkula, was on transfer of latest knowledge and technology to farmers and motivating them to adopt latest varieties and agro practices.
Attractive product display : Big names in commercial floriculture-local and foreign-were present in strength, and their product display won many a heart. Hortilux Schreder from the Netherlands exhibited its most up-todate supplemental lighting and equipment for obtaining optimal and top quality produce. Its range of efficient electronic light fittings, aided by reflectors, are tailored to suit situation-specific requirements of growers. K F Bioplants, a joint venture company of Kumar Properties and Florist de Kwakel B V, Holland, displayed its variety of tissue culture products of top international standards. Its representatives at the stall explained that the company's exports reach over 25 countries around the world. It has a joint venture with two Dutch companies, Gebr. Vletter and Hilverda Plant Technology, for propagation and marketing of flower bulbs and carnation cuttings in India.
Pune-based Rise n' Shine, an authorized propagator of flowers of Terra Nigra B V, Holland, B&B, Spain and VCI, the Netherlands, put up an impressive pavilion. One of its specialties is sourcing of tissue-cultured plants for growers of flowers, ornamental plants and fruit crops. The company is engaged in propagating flowers like gerbera, carnation, calathea, orchid and lilium. A range of products, commonly used by floriculturists, were on display by companies like A A Politive Ltd,, Pollack Group, Netafim Irrigation and Plastro Plasson Industries from Israel; Yu Pin Biotechnology Co. Ltd and Wise Center Precision Appliance Co. Ltd, from Taiwan; Black Tulip from Dubai; Evonik Degussa India Pvt Ltd representing Germany's Evonik Industries; Capp-Plast Srl of Italy; and Smithers Oasis and Toro Company of the United States. Sheel Bio Tech Ltd exhibited its high quality planting materials of Preesman Holland, Zabo Plants, Holland, Rijn Plants, Holland, Z&Z varieties bv, greenhouse equipment and other agro services.
Attractive product display : Big names in commercial floriculture-local and foreign-were present in strength, and their product display won many a heart. Hortilex Schreder from the Netherlands exhibited its most up-todate supplemental lighting and equipment for obtaining optimal and top quality produce. Its range of efficient electronic light fittings, aided by reflectors, are tailored to suit situation-specific requirements of growers. K F Bioplants, a joint venture company of Kumar Properties and Florist de Kwakel B V, Holland, displayed its variety of tissue culture products of top international standards. Its representatives at the stall explained that the company's exports reach over 25 countries around the world. It has a joint venture with two Dutch companies, Gebr. Vletter and Hilverda Plant Technology, for propagation and marketing of flower bulbs and carnation cuttings in India. Pune-based Rise n' Shine, an authorized propagator of flowers of Terra Nigra B V, Holland, B&B, Spain and VCI, the Netherlands, put up an impressive pavilion. One of its specialties is sourcing of tissue-cultured plants for growers of flowers, ornamental plants and fruit crops. The company is engaged in propagating flowers like gerbera, carnation, calathea, orchid and lilium. A range of products, commonly used by floriculturists, were on display by companies like A A Politive Ltd,, Pollack Group, Netafim Irrigation and Plastro Plasson Industries from Israel; Yu Pin Biotechnology Co. Ltd and Wise Center Precision Appliance Co. Ltd, from Taiwan; Black Tulip from Dubai; Evonik Degussa India Pvt Ltd representing Germany's Evonik Industries; Capp-Plast Srl of Italy; and Smithers Oasis and Toro Company of the United States. Sheel Bio Tech Ltd exhibited its high quality planting materials of Preesman Holland, Zabo Plants, Holland, Rijn Plants, Holland, Z&Z varieties bv, greenhouse equipment and other agro services.
Tissue culture : The Expo showed that quite a number of Indian companies are engaged in tissue culture work to improve productivity. Hyderabad based A G Biotech Laboratories/ Anantha Bio Technologies, for instance, explained that the company has been supplying six million plants per annum for domestic and international markets for over one and a half decades. Florance Flora from Bangalore is another leading company that displayed tissue culture plants of Anthura, Holland and other top breeders as part of its varied activities, including offer of turnkey greenhouse projects. In greenhouse accessories, Germini Agro from Pune and Terra Nigra displayed products like polyfilms and carnation-supporting net, besides the fertilizer mixing systems, all imported from Europe, apart of carnation planting material of B&B, Spain & gerbera of Terra Nigra, Holland. Another impressive display was by Saveer Biotech Ltd., a Delhibased company, which specializes in high tech greenhouses, tissue culture labs and biotech products like orchids. Since water is becoming increasingly a scarce input, there was much interest among the visitors in the water-saving irrigation systems. The stall of the Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd,, which has its headquarters in Jalgaon, drew large crowds. The company, whose activities are growing, not only manufactures a wide range of precision irrigation products but also undertakes turnkey projects for agricultural development. Solar energy heating, lighting equipment and exploitation of bio-energy sources are the latest additions to its diverse activities.
Overseas delegations : The Expo attracted delegations and trade visitors from many countries. Among them were: Nepal Floriculture Association, Sri Lanka Flower Exporters' Association, Horticulture Export Development of Pakistan, Chamber of Commerce, Murcia, Spain, Bahrain Floriculture Association, landscape and flower associations from Singapore, Flowers & Plants Association of UAE and Nursery and Garden Industry from Queensland, Australia. On all the three days of the show, there was a steady flow of business visitors, some of whom were from countries like the Netherlands, U K, Germany, Japan, China, Thailand, Bangadesh, Saudi Arabia and Mauritius. For the thousands of flower and plant lovers who visited the Expo, it was an "unforgettable experience of a high order," as one visitor pithily put it. |
|
