Flower growers see profits in local market

The domestic flower market has turned more lucrative as the demand has gone up by 50 per cent in the last two years.

“The domestic market, backed by increasing income, is offering immense potential to flower growers, forcing growers to concentrate only on it,” Indian Flowers and Ornamental Plants Welfare Association President S J Naqvi told reporters here.

Within two years, the domestic flower market has shot up to Rs 1,500 crore from Rs 1,000 crore. “With the change in lifestyle, people are now spending a lot of money on buying flowers for gifts, marriages and floral designing etc which has provided impetus to domestic market,” said Naqvi.

 

With flower growers getting a good price from domestic market, exports have been hit, plunging to Rs 448 crore in 2007-08 from Rs 650 crore in 2006-07, he said.

“Flower export has been hit mainly because of shifting of focus of flower growers to domestic market,” he added.

Holland, Japan, Australia and West Asia are the biggest export markets for India.

Besides the metropolises such as Delhi and Mumbai, flower growers have find huge business potential in smaller cities such as Ludhiana (Punjab), Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh) for their supplies. “These cash-rich cities are really helping in expanding the size of the flower market here,” he said.