Rose exports from India are expected to reach a record high around Valentine’s Day this year.
Exporters began shipping rose stems to Europe, West Asia and Australia a week ahead of Valentine’s Day and will send more this week. Friday is the last day for Valentine’s Day export shipments.
Last year, Valentine’s Day fell on a weekend, damping exports.
More than five million rose stems are expected to be exported this year between February 4 and February 14. The sought-after Taj Mahal (red rose) variety costs Rs 12-16 per stem.
“Overlapping demand of the Chinese New Year did not occur this year. This has exerted downward pressure on prices. Normally, these two events coincide,” said Ramkrishna Karuturi, managing director, Karuturi Global.“The actual realisation is lower this year,” he added.
Jayprakash Rao, general secretary of the South India Floriculture Association, said the Taj Mahal variety was grown around Bengaluru and Krishnagiri, the border district with Tamil Nadu. “This year 95 per cent of the roses that are being exported are the Taj Mahal variety,” he said.
The southern states account for the majority of rose exports from the country.
“Valentine’s Day is mainly celebrated in offices, schools and colleges. Since it was a Sunday last year, demand went down. While the cost per stem remains the same as last year, the volumes are much higher. Last year was the worst year for Valentine’s Day exports,” said Yogesh N, partner at Red Blossom. The company expects exports to increase six times to 300,000 stems this year.
Pawan K Kumar, head of Borgiun Flora, said, “Export demand is expected to rise in the next one or two days beyond which shipments may not reach in time.” He expects to export 200,000 rose stems to Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore at Rs 10-16 each.
Bengaluru also sees demand from within the country for Valentine's Day. “Around 4-5 million rose stems will be shipped to various states. Even in India the Taj Mahal variety is the most sought after,” said Vijay Kulkarni, general manager, International Flower Auction Bangalore Ltd. Demonetisation has hit domestic flower sales. Flower demand in India continues to remain muted during the ongoing wedding season.
Indian flower exporters’ realisations will also be affected by a sharp depreciation in the euro to Rs 71.91 now from Rs 75 in September. The euro zone is one of the largest importers of Indian flowers.
Source: Business-standard.com
