New Delhi, India
September 12, 2007
The floriculture industry has vast
potential for generating income and employment and enhancing
export earnings and this sector is growing at a fast pace,
helped by recent initiatives launched by the Government if
India.
Stating this at the inauguration of the
3rd International
Flora Expo here today, Agriculture Minister Shri Sharad
pawar mentioned the contribution of National Horticulture
Mission launched last year and the Technology Mission for
Integrated Development of Horticulture in the North Eastern
States in 2001-02. During the last two years, nearly Rs. 68
crore has been resulting to the states for expansion of area
under flower cultivation, resulting in about 22,000 hectares of
additional area coming under floriculture production. Centres
for organized floriculture have emerged in many parts of the
country, including Bangalore, Pune and Nasik. Mizoram, Meghalaya
and Sikkim have entered export and domestic markets in this
field. The domestic market of flowers and ornamental plants
fetches nearly Rs. 10,000 million for cultivators, the Minister
informed.
Since there is no organized market for flowers at present, the
increasing popularity of retail markets, particularly of
perishables, is likely to provide a fillip to the domestic
floriculture industry. Setting up of six Agri Export Zones for
floriculture, besides a large number of flower clusters under
NHM, is expected to provide further impetus to the domestic and
international trade of floriculture products in the coming
years, Shri Pawar said.
Delineating the growth of floriculture exports, the Minister
said that flower exports have recorded a robust growth from Rs.
188 million in 1993-94 to over Rs. 4000 million in 2006-07 and
now India’s share in floriculture export is about 2% of the
total agri-export basket. Our fresh flowers are reaching about
87 countries with a significant share going to countries like
Australia, UK, Japan, Netherlands and UAE. During the last ten
years, there has been an exponential growth in the earning
through the marketing of floriculture products, both in the
domestic and international markets. This has been achieved
despite stiff competition from many of the flower exporting
countries and high domestic freight charges on floriculture
products.
The Minister also invited entrepreneurs from other countries to
take advantage of the government’s policies and take up
commercial ventures in floriculture in India. He said that
liberalization of industrial and trade policies has paved the
way for export-oriented production of cut flowers. Besides,
since 2006, the Government has permitted 100% Foreign Direct
Investment in the floriculture sector. |
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