FLORICULTURE was identified as a sunrise industry in 1991 and today the export of floriculture products from India has crossed 300 crore rupees or 80 million US dollars. This is an impressive growth record, yet our presence at an international level remains modest. We have only a 0.3% share in world exports of floriculture.

Source of employment
Even at this modest level, floriculture has opened up a new source of employment in the rural areas of India and more importantly it has opened up a new source of employment for women in rural areas. Much of the work on a flower farm is handled by women, at our own project site in Uttarakhand, 80% of the work force is female.

Indigenous Production Our modest share does not detract us from innovation in production practices and packaging. Though we may do it at a small scale, the Indian flower sector produces the latest hybrids of a range of flowers and has successfully managed import substitution in most aspects of product packaging and cultivation practices. Again, to cite the example of our project in Uttarakhand, we have grown more than one hundred varieties of Lilium since we began. The industry at large hardly uses any imported consumables be it pesticides, herbicides or soil treatment chemicals. This contributes to the cost competitiveness of the industry at an international level and we manage to produce top quality produce at a fraction of the international cost level.

Small Units India has a number of industrial scale floriculture projects which regularly send their produce to the international market and employ the best technical expertise available in the country, but we must give due attention to the numerous small scale units set up by individual farmers. It is these enterprising men and women whose initiative deserves special praise and support. Many larger units like ours nurture a synergistic relationship with the smaller units to create a network of diverse production locations - each location under close supervision of a dedicated supervisor - the small farmer. You will see small poly-sheet huts dotting the rural landscape at regular intervals in Uttarakhand, Himanchal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, northern areas of West Bengal, Sikkim.

Kashmir-- a natural habitat of floriculture
Kashmir is ideally suited to commercial floriculture production. It is only a matter of harnessing the natural bounty. For years the natural flora of the land has found its way to distant markets. The Yemberzal flower, also known as nargis and narcissus, which welcomes the spring in Kashmir, popping up every year without any effort, has many loyal customers in Delhi. The tulip garden at the foot of Zabarwan hills has proven beyond doubt that the soil and micro-climate makes this region the natural habitat of floriculture. We as an industry need to spread the awareness of this relation between the climate and the product. I have no hesitation in accepting that flowers grown here can have the best quality parameters that India can deliver. And we must ensure that the small farmer is included in this success story.
In addition to being a major source of flowers, Kashmir is the most scenic location available to the floriculture industry to create exhibition grounds, such as Keukonhoef in the Netherlands. A park, supported by the flower council and the bulb companies of Netherlands, which opens for eight weeks every year between March and May, has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. All such undertakings will require a joint effort by the industry and its patrons. Much has been done by both the government and the entrepreneurs to ensure the success of floriculture in India but, of course, much needs to be done. As they say, success is not a destination it is a journey.

Brand India for Flowers
Units all over the country must have a common platform - for information exchange and more importantly for marketing. We need to create a brand India for flowers like, for example, Carmel brand in Israel. Agrexco is the leading exporter of fresh produce from Israel, fifty percent of its ownership lies with the government. It has created a common brand for all fresh produce and maintains sufficiently high control standards and makes common postharvest infrastructure available to growers, so that the brand is identified with quality.

Supply Chain and Infrastructure
The individual grower lacks the financial muscle to develop necessary infrastructure. In fresh produce, there is a large gap between quality on farm and quality in the market. Farm quality of Indian flowers is superlative and if this excellent quality is to be delivered as it is to the markets, a proper cold chain infrastructure is required for every unit as many farms do not have access to such facility. Inevitably, it is the smaller units which suffer most from this deficiency which needs to be corrected. Though the industry has achieved international recognition and many international organizations rely upon Indian production to meet their requirements. Notable among them is Black Tulip, the largest flower distributor in UAE. Such organizations have made sustained effort over a prolonged period of time to develop a supply link from India. There are many others who are keen on sourcing Indian flowers. But when their representatives visit India, they get disappointed as they visit each farm separately because there is no common platform to showcase the entire range of products to them. Many a time an international customer demands an extended basket of flowers, for which we must connect with each other so that we are able to provide a whole mix to the customer. We must create better equipped wholesale-centres where an image of quality can be projected and the full array of varieties can be displayed to the international customers.
Steps are being taken in the right direction. An auction centre at Bangalore has been set up by a joint venture company IFAB, while National Capital Region near New Delhi has seen wholesale flower market being established. The industry is fortunate to have the support of nodal organizations like APEDA and National Horticulture Board who are foresighted in their schemes and generous in their support. I hope they will continue to be the support base of the industry and continue to guide it in the right direction. Indeed, we rely heavily on their expertise and experience. Their efforts need to be supplemented by a fresh inflow of optimism from the industry. All entities, growers, wholesalers, investors and the government need to come together to make a coherent picture of isolated units operating well below their potential.