Golf cart sales set to get a boost

Golf cart sales are set to get a boost in a couple of months as the golf course construction activity in India is bucking the slowdown trend, according to Antony Samy, general manager of Chennai-based Irrigation Products International (IPI).

The Rs 20-crore company is the exclusive distributor of Yamaha’s golf carts and the NYSE-listed US-based Toro’s lawn-care and turf-maintenance equipment in India. It provides lawn-mowing and water-distribution equipment to about 35 cricket grounds under the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) fold, besides supplying golf carts to major airports, hotels and IT firms like Infosys.

“Currently, there are 60 major golf courses across the country (excluding those within the defence establishments). About 20 golf courses, originally scheduled to be launched last year, were put on hold due to the slowdown. Of these, 9 are now in various stages of construction and will be launched in a couple of months, which will help sustain the sales growth,” Samy said.

Samy was speaking to Business Standard on the sidelines of the fourth International Landscape and Gardening Expo 2009, which kicked off in Hyderabad on Friday.

The three-day event is being organised jointly by the state horticulture department and the Indian Flowers and Ornamental Plants Welfare Association (iFlora).

Indoor plants gaining momentum
The concept of using indoor plants at workplaces is growing in India rapidly because it enhances the employees’ working capability and creativity, while making the environment more peaceful and friendly, according to Jafar Naqvi, president of iFlora.

“Surveys point out that in the developed world, the productivity of working staff has increased by 10 to 15 per cent by providing green surrounding or a good green plant nearby,” he said.

Naqvi said rapid urbanisation and industrialisation leading to the malls culture, green belts, amusement parks and townships, had given a new dimension to the art of landscaping.

“Indian landscaping professional, using modern equipment and accessories, are exploring unlimited business opportunities in the commercial property sector,” he said, adding that according to a Merrill Lynch report, an estimated $25 billion investment will be required for urban housing in India over the next five years.