Pakistan has now set its eyes on capturing a share of the growing global flower market, estimated at more than 10 billion US dollars. Belatedly, though. In this effort, Pakistan is enthused by the success of countries like China, India, Kenya, Colombia and Israel, which are making - or have made - rapid progress in commercial floriculture. In the forefront is the Pakistan Horticulture Development & Export Board (PHDEB), which has taken the initiative with the objective of making export-oriented floriculture as one of the sunshine sectors in the country.
Pakistan has now set its eyes on capturing a share of the growing global flower market, estimated at more than 10 billion US dollars. Belatedly, though. In this effort, Pakistan is enthused by the success of countries like China, India, Kenya, Colombia and Israel, which are making - or have made - rapid progress in commercial floriculture. In the forefront is the Pakistan Horticulture Development & Export Board (PHDEB), which has taken the initiative with the objective of making export-oriented floriculture as one of the sunshine sectors in the country.
Common Facility Farms
PHDEB has plans to establish 'Floriculture Common Facility Farms' (FCFF) in each province -somewhat on the lines of agri export zones in India - to enable the farmers to grow and export high quality flowers on a large scale. In a report in Business Recorder, Iqbal Mirza, explaining the role of FCFF zones and how they would function, points out the need for controlled environment on a large scale - or greenhouses - to overcome weather conditions and to provide most suitable growing environment to obtain top quality and high yield. Greenhouse cultivation, however, is an expensive medium and may be out of reach of individual farmers. |
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To bring down substantially the investment cost of each farmer, key facilities would be provided in the zone itself. Punjab would be taken as a model, and later replicated, with slight modifications as per geographical conditions of each province. It is proposed that the size of the first FCFF should be 30 hectares. Each farm, within the zone, would be of two hectares (1.5 hectare greenhouse + 0.5 hectare open space). Total investment of FCFF would be in the range of Rs 80 million. This would include development of land, provision of common facilities like drip irrigation, cold storage, packinghouse, etc, on nominal charges. Sale and marketing would also be the responsibility of FCFF, which, after deduction of expenses and nominal margin, would pass on the balance to the individual units in the form of price. Profit earned by FCFF would be used to develop the zone, to provide technical training to farmers through local and foreign consultants, and to set up a modern laboratory. Farmers would also get marketing advice. Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of the project is calculated at approximately 24 percent. The FCFF zone would be managed by a private limited company.
In infancy
Growing cut flowers is not a new phenomenon in Pakistan, says Ismat Sabir in a report. However, it is still in its nascent stages of growth. The rich soil provides ideal agronomic conditions for the production of flowers. Despite lack of knowledge about modern floricultural production techniques, difficulty in obtaining the latest varieties, and the lack of infrastructure, the industry has started attracting new entrants.
The main reason for the slow development of this sector is lack of interest on the part of progressive and big farmers to enter this field. The credit goes to small and poor farmers who have kept on going without much technical or financial support over the years. Among the upcoming floriculture centres Pattoki area has taken the lead. It serves as the centre for floricultural activity in Pakistan. Though Kasur and Sheikhupura districts have also developed some expertise in this field, yet Pattoki serves as the hub for floricultural trade. Pattoki 'mandi' is the major forum for buying and selling of fresh cut flowers, especially roses. From Pattoki, flowers are distributed to all parts of the country including Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, and Islamabad.
Project viability
Seeking to provide general information to investors in floriculture projects, the report points out that like the general trend in other countries, in Pakistan also roses are the most traded among all cut flowers. These cut flowers can also be exported to Middle Eastern countries, as there is great demand of roses in these countries. Besides earning money, gardening helps keep the environment clean and beautiful. Growing roses on commercial basis is a capitalintensive project, but the high returns, compared to many other agricultural ventures, make floriculture economically viable. Low cost of labour combined with very reasonable land lease rates and suitable climatic conditions for most part of the year serve as the basis for making this project attractive. Rose plants are easily available from nurseries and are very cheap, say Rs10 per plant. Says Sabir, the project can be started on one acre of land, which would give a return of Rs 30,000 to 60,000 per annum. However, a farm of 5 acres (two hectares) would be economically viable considering the amount of effort and money required and returns expected.
Besides rose growing fields, some more land is required to perform post-harvesting functions and other related chores like sorting, washing, drying, packing and other related facilities. Land can be obtained on lease. For this project no big pacca construction is required. Only a small 10'x10' room would be enough for storage purpose. Besides storage room, one proper shed - a covered area of 40'x40' with open sides for air passage-is required. This area is to be used for washing, sorting, packing, and other post harvest activities. Basic farm tools and fixtures include tools for pruning the plants, picking the flowers, and removing leaves, etc. Besides these tools, other fixtures are required, including clean water hand pump, tables, tubs, wooden crates and fans. All items are easily available in the market.
Tissue culture
Since quality planting material is very important in commercial floriculture, which is eyeing export markets, a report in The Nation by Syed Jafar Askari pinpoints the potential of Karachi University in producing, on a large scale, tissue cultured plants of different species. Says Askari, if the government extends support to Karachi University (KU), it can earn millions of dollars by exporting tissue cultured plants especially flower plants. The University's HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry at present is providing tissue cultured orchids to the local market at one-tenth the market prices. The flower trade has become a lucrative business all over the world, and the tissue culture facility of the University can well neigh cater to its needs for producing fine quality flowers, including orchids. Orchids are at the second position in the list of top selling flowers in the world and global trade in orchids is estimated at US $ 2,000 million. The orchids are marketed both as potted plants and as cut flowers.
Research
Karachi Univesity has two research institutions, including HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, KU and AQ Khan Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, where tissue culture facilities are available. Vice Chancellor of the University Prof Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui told The Nation that tissue culture could be a lucrative industry with help of the government. However, he said, there is a need to educate people on the importance of the tissue culture technology, which can increase production and improve quality. . "There is an urgent need to set up a marketing department to promote and sell on-line products like tissue cultured flowers, produced by universities. As Dubai is pretty nearer to Pakistan, quality flowers and plants can easily be exported to earn much-needed foreign exchange. In a situation in which the country facing a serious economic crisis, such type of economic activities at the university level can help the country's economy," he added. Acting Director of International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences in Karachi University, Dr Muhammad Iqbal Chaudhry, said that the increasing production of flowers is being achieved only because of the modern tissue culture technology. About half of more than 200 commercial tissue culture laboratories in the world are engaged in micro propagation of orchids, thereby helping to revolutionise the orchid industry in several countries. The credit goes to the HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry for having established the first tissue culture laboratory for orchids, he said. This laboratory is operational on five different genus of orchids with special emphasis on Dendrobium. It is using state-of-the-art tissue culture technology to produce orchids. There are three greenhouses having thousands of orchid plants. At the institute, 17 varieties of orchids are being reproduced through tissue culture technology and most of them are Dendrobium. All the developments taking place in Pakistan show that the government is keen to give a big push to export-oriented floriculture. As part of the efforts to promote India-Pak cooperation, Pune-based Horticulture Training Centre received two groups of farmers from Pakistan for training in production, post-harvest technology and marketing of greenhouse-grown flowers. The visit was sponsored by the Pakistan Horticulture Development Board. In another development, Kishore Rajhans of K F Bioplants of Pune visited Pakistan to develop commercial floriculture in an area adjoining Lahore. K F Bioplants is a pioneer in tissue culture of flower |
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