An increase in the demand for flowers and a huge gap in their supply has opened doors of opportunity for entrepreneurs in Odisha who are prospering by engaging in floriculture like never before.
Local markets in Odisha can only meet 10-12% of the total flower requirement in the state and Odisha has to rely heavily on neighboring West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh to satisfy its flower appetite. West Bengal accounted for 75% of the flower supply in the Odisha markets. In fact, West Bengal businessmen are earning money by doing good business in the state. As the festival season approaches, the demand for flowers increases by 20-30%. Apart from this, the wedding season represents a great demand for flowers.
The deal on New Year last year was to the tune of Rs 10 crore. With the new year around this time, traders are expecting deals close to Rs 15 crores. By detecting opportunities in this sector, local entrepreneurs have begun to enter the market. A private group started the cultivation of gerberas and roses on four acres in Ugratara, located almost 50 km from Bhubaneswar, supplying more than 5000 gerberas to Bhubaneswar florists every day. A gerbera flower sells for 10 to 12 rupees a piece in the capital city of Bhubaneswar, almost double what is spent on growing it.
Interestingly, the biggest flower market in Odisha is located in its capital city. Bhubaneswar has around 135 florists and almost 2000 people are engaged in business in the town. The flower business in the capital city is estimated to be around Rs 50 crores a year and is growing by more than 30%. The city’s flower merchants purchase marigold, rose bush, and Calcutta rose bush. However, exotic flowers like lilies, orchids and carnations come from Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and Delhi. The lotuses come from Lake Anshupa near Athgarh in Cuttack, while the basil and other flowers for offerings to the deities come from the villages on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
Sensing the opportunities in the area, the state government also began encouraging farmers in the state to go into floriculture in a big way. The government has identified areas of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Rourkela, Sambalpur and Berhampur to encourage floriculture. Rs 1.5 crore has already been spent on the development of the Berhampur flower market. Apart from this, the government is providing cold rooms to preserve the flowers for a longer time and refrigerated vans to transport the stocks from far away places to encourage this business in Odisha. Most importantly, the horticulture department gives a 50 percent subsidy to start floriculture projects. And this is what is attracting many entrepreneurs to this industry.
An engineer from Tangi, near Cuttack, who incidentally was the first in the state to go for a large-scale floriculture project on a 4-acre piece of land, says he is earning around Rs 25,000 per month on an acre of land. . A rose produced on his farm that costs Rs 2 sells for Rs 10 to Rs 15 in the capital. Similarly, gerberas that cost Rs 1.50 to produce sell for Rs 10. Buoyed by the profits, he is considering growing Dutch roses that can be exported to Dubai, Singapore and other countries.
In fact, the sky is the limit for enthusiasts who have jumped into this sector and for those who are unaware, it is the right time to start.
