In Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri, a flower industry blossoms — with some help

Roses, chrysanthemums, gerberas, orchids, and carnations — flowers that require precise temperature and humidity control — flourish in these conditions, with substantial government subsidies making the transition to protected cultivation more accessible.

At the heart of this success is a collaboration with Israel, leveraging its expertise in drip irrigation and automation. Farmers spoke of the transformation – drip systems that deliver water and nutrients based on real-time data, greenhouses that extend flower life by days and even weeks, and a robust post-harvest network ensuring that Hosur’s flowers reach markets across India and abroad.

Roses dominate the landscape and the market, and their cultivation peaks around Valentine’s Day and wedding season. A bunch of 20 stems can fetch between Rs 200 and Rs 400 in peak periods, making floriculture a lucrative business for large-scale farmers. The numbers are big — each acre houses about 36,000 rose plants, producing an estimated five lakh stems annually.

Orchids, a relatively new introduction, promise long-term gains, with plants yielding flowers for up to five years before requiring replanting.

A few kilometres from the Centre for Cut Flowers, its sister project, the International Flower Auction Centre (IFAC), is located.

It is a government-backed online flower auction centre — a project envisioned to help farmers bypass middlemen and secure better prices.

The auction centre follows the Dutch clock system — a rapid-fire bidding process where buyers bid based on real-time images of flowers displayed on screens.

While this is aimed at providing Tamil Nadu’s floriculturists with a direct line to domestic and international markets, some farmers still prefer selling through traditional wholesale channels based in Hosur town, where transactions are guaranteed, even if prices fluctuate, and buyers come to collect the harvest from farmers.

However, a government note underscores the advantages the auction centre brings — better price realisation for farmers, transparency in sales, and a digital trading platform integrating e-commerce.

Efforts to promote the centre include buyer-seller meets, trade shows, and outreach to florists and exporters. Dedicated extension teams have been deployed to educate farmers on quality control and grading, while logistical improvements, including farm-gate collections, aim to build trust with growers.

The region boasts around 1,946 acres under flower cultivation, yielding over 5 lakh bunches annually. The government, recognising the industry’s export potential, is doubling down on infrastructure, aiming to wean local farmers off dependence on Bengaluru’s markets.

Of the total live plants used in the last two flower shows in Chennai, 50% were sourced from the Centre for Cut Flower, and the remaining from different districts such as Dindigul, Salem, Trichy and Ooty. “Some 8 lakh flower plants were used last year from the centre, and we supplied 15 lakh plants this year for the flower show. The centre prepared for about six months for the 20-day flower show. Some plants with 10-day lifespan were replaced after 10 days,” said Suresh C, an assistant horticulture officer, at the centre told The Indian Express.

Standing amid rows of roses, a farmer with over 15 acres says the Centre for Cut Flower helps a lot. “They also bring Israeli experts who come once in six months with new ideas and technology, and we interact with them,” the farmer said.

Krishnagiri District Magistrate K M Sarayu has been recognised for the initiative in the Excellence in Governance Awards 2024, organised by The Indian Express, under the Agriculture category.

The initiative has led to the generation of `200 crore in export revenue and `25 lakh in revenue generated from IFAC.

“I want to work more for the people… The concept was to collect flowers from farmers and sell them to people. The infrastructure wasn’t there at first, but we convinced farmers to sell to us. Several awareness sessions were held and we managed to many buyer… We created transport facilities to collect flowers from the farmers’ doorsteps,” Sarayu said.

The DM said it is important for a bureaucrat to be a good team leader. “The first quality of a good bureaucrat is to listen to your team and take ideas from them. It is essential to take decisions quickly and without compromising integrity. In a stressful job, it’s difficult to stay motivated sometimes, but we all came into the service to help people. Their happiness helps us go further,” Sarayu said.