Floriculture

Floriculture, or flower farming, is a discipline of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry, comprising the floral industry. The development plant breeding of new varieties is a major occupation of floriculturists.

Floriculture crops include bedding plants, flowering plants, foliage plants or houseplants, cut cultivated greens, and cut flowers. As distinguished from nursery crops, floriculture crops are generally herbaceous. Bedding and garden plants consist of young flowering plants (annuals and perennials) and vegetable plants.

Flowers are mainly for export. This business is growing in the world at around 6-10 per cent per annum. In 2007 the size of the industry was $80 billion.

In spite of a long tradition of Agriculture and Floriculture, India’s share in the international market for these flowers is negligible. During the last ten years, taking advantage of the incentives offered by the Government, a number of Floriculture units were established in India for producing and exporting flowers to the developed countries. Most of them were located near Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi and obtained the technical know-how from Dutch and Israeli Consultants.

Karnataka is the leader in floriculture, accounting for 75% of India’s total flower production. The state has the highest area under modern cut flowers, and 40 flower growing and exporting units. The country’s first and only flower auction centre is located in Karnataka.

In Karnataka, there are 18,000 hectares under floriculture cultivation. Karnataka is into floriculture for over 300 years. The Tigala community near Devanahalli and Chickaballapur are extremely good at growing flowers.

In 2003 The International Flower Auction Bangalore (IFAB), the operating company controlled by growers, has taken over the operations of the flower auction centre run by the State-owned Karnataka Agro Industries Corporation (KAIC).

An agreement to this effect was signed between the representatives of the South India Floriculture Association (SIFA) and Managing Director of KAIC, in presence of the Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary of Karnataka, Mr Vijay Gore, who is also the chairman of IFAB. SIFA has a 51 per cent stake in IFAB, while the small growers hold 16 per cent.

Karuturi Networks, a little known Bangalore company, is close to acquiring the Netherlands-based Sher, the world’s largest producer and supplier of roses, for about $50 million (Rs 220 crore) to emerge as the global leader in roses. Sher’s greenhouses in the Netherlands, Kenya and Ethiopia produce 600 million roses annually.

Universities and institutes which cater to Floriculture are,

• University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore
• Indian Institute of Horticultural Research , Bangalore
• AP Agricultural University
• Haryana Agricultural University
• Punjab Agricultural University
• College of Agriculture, Maharashtra