Flower growers and exporters failed to send the roses from India to desired markets on this year’s Valentine’s Day. They rued the coronavirus that robbed the whole excitement of the ‘festival of love’. In terms of export, the Valentine’s Day of 2021 and 2022 were “years of tears” for them.
Indian marriages, however, proved saving grace for the flower traders, who with some twist in their business model, managed to sustain this year.
The flower growers from Pune and Bengaluru start preparing for the Valentine’s Day some six months before the actual date, February 14, to meet the exporters’ demand. In fact, their ‘date’ with roses begins and ends in the first week of February to ensure that the ‘roses with love’ reach the most suitable hands globally on the Valentine’s Day.
This year, like the previous year, was hard both for the flower growers and exporters due to lack of connectivity, closure of large farms, loss of round the year export market for fresh cut flowers, and significant inflation in raw material and services related to horticulture.
According to data available with the Indian Commerce Ministry, the country exported 68,160 kg of roses to the world in December 2020. A decline of 10 per cent was recorded in 2021 (December) to 60,960 kg.
Overall, the ‘flower power’ or the Indian floriculture industry, has made great strides by exporting long-stemmed roses, known as the best in the world, to over 76 countries, including UK, US, Netherlands, and Dubai.
The losses to the sector were apparent in the given Covid-19 situation, but the flower growers have been saved, thanks to domestic demand during weddings.
Over the last few months, the Indian domestic flower market has been “on the bull run, thanks to the 2.5 million (25 lakh) weddings across the country in a month that started on November 14 last year,” an NRI portal quoted Praveen Sharma, President, Indian Society of Floriculture Professionals (IFSP).
There were around 0.11 million (1.1 lakh) weddings in Mumbai alone that month. Rose prices were unprecedented in the month of November, in the Indian market, and a flower bunch went for as high as $ 5.30 (Rs.400) – the usual price is $1.30 to $1.90 (Rs 100 to Rs 140/bunch) a bunch.
Sharma said that every year flower growers prepare special production flushes for the Valentine Season, but this year that was not the case. The continued wedding season and better prices, since November, forced growers to take up regular production, instead of special flushes for the Valentine season.
Praveen Yadav, a florist as well as a vegetable trader asked for incentives and better market channels for agriculture products. “This sector proved to be an ingredient of sustainable economy even during a crisis like covid-19,” he said.
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