India accounts for approximately global trade in flower farming but has the potential to capture a larger share given its favorable climatic conditions and low labor costs. Some of the major flowers cultivated commercially in India include roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, tube roses, gerberas, lilies, and orchids.

Rise of Cut Flowers Export

One of the key drivers of growth for the Floriculture farming industry has been the rising exports of cut flowers from India. Other major export markets include the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and the United States. In the last five years alone, cut flower exports from India have doubled in value terms. The government's focus on developing infrastructure like cold storages and promoting clusters is helping boost exports. Some of the major states exporting cut flowers include Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal.

While exports remain a big focus area, opportunities in the domestic Floriculture industry are also expanding rapidly. With increasing urbanization, rising disposable incomes, and changing social trends, the demand for flowers from the domestic is surging. Events like weddings, festivals, and corporate gifting are driving strong growth. Online flower delivery platforms have made it convenient for people across the country to gift flowers. This has opened up untapped rural as well. Moreover, with Indians celebrating more occasions with flowers nowadays, retail demand is growing exponentially. Organized retail chains have started allocating more shelf space to fresh flowers.

Role of Protected Cultivation

One of the keys to ensuring year-round availability and improving quality has been the increasing adoption of protected cultivation methods like greenhouse technology, shade nets etc. States like Karnataka have witnessed huge investments in setting up large greenhouses for commercial rose and carnation cultivation. Protected cultivation helps mitigate issues of weather variations and pests. It also improves productivity and quality through precise climate and irrigation control. With changing weather patterns, protected cultivation is emerging as a more sustainable way of flower farming.

Growth of Ancillary Industries

The fast growth of the flower farming industry has led to the development of numerous ancillary industries around packaging, transportation, cold storage, and farming inputs. Companies providing drip irrigation systems, polyhouses, greenhouses, nutrient solutions etc have mushroomed across the country. Specialized packaging like flower cones, sleeves and boxes are now available for all major varieties. Cold storage infrastructure too has grown—India today has over 500 cold storages dedicated to storing perishable horticulture produce like flowers. Growth of refrigerated transportation modes like refrigerated vans and trucks has complemented this, enabling faster movement of flowers to airports and ports.

Challenges and the Way Forward

While the Floriculture industry holds significant potential for agricultural diversification and exports in India, a few challenges still remain. High freight costs continue to impact the competitiveness of Indian exports. Lack of regular air cargo services in certain routes affects timely deliveries. Absence of farmer-producer organizations weakens farmers' bargaining power. Disease and pest management is a concern given changing climatic conditions. Focus is required on developing newer varieties through hybridization, promoting contract farming and more clustering. The government should extend more incentives and guidelines for investing in pre and post-harvest infrastructure like packhouses. With coordinated efforts from all stakeholders, India's share in the global trade of flower farming can surely multiply in the coming years.

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