The beginning of a new bloom

Growing flowers is a culture that is beginning to pick up,though those involved in it say it is yet to reach its full potential. Nearly 1,500 people in this business are registered with the floriculture department and the number is rising. This is the fastest growing source of income,and around 1,500 people are registered with us, says director,floriculture,Sunil Misri. Hundreds of hectares are being used to grow flowers in the Valley and the majority who do it are youth, he says,adding the sector has huge employment potential.

The demand used to be lower but is escalating, says Zahoor Ahmed,a florist for nine years. In Kashmir,where there arent many flower outlets,Ahmed lines up with other florists on the pavement at Lal Chowk. I want more shops here, says Ahmed,who caters to weddings,VIP functions,birthdays,inaugurations,table arrangements and pandals.

Fayez Ahmed Mir,who grows roses,gerebera,carnation,orchids and tulips,exports them to Delhi and Mumbai. Kashmiri flowers,especially tulip,are in demand outside, Mir says.

Mir learnt about flowers in Delhi where he had spent five years,and then studied the business. When I saw commercial floriculture doing well there,I thought why not to try it in Kashmir, Mir says. I now earn Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore a month,touchwood.

Mirs nephew Adil,whom he has groomed in the business and who takes care of the shop at Jawahar Nagar,says it is a high-risk business as flowers have a low shelf life,but the profits can be high. When I buy,I keep shelf life in mind.

In the summer months,a florist can earn about Rs 20,000-25,000. In winter,there being fewer weddings and functions,they make do with whatever they earn from floral arrangements for hotels,restaurants,banks and other places.

This sector is yet to rise to its true potential, says floriculture expert Khurshid Ahmed Kasba. Kashmir has a favourable climate for tulip and juniper,which have a good demand outside. Flowers grown in Kashmir have a market in the UAE and other countries,import costs being lower if they get it from India rather than the Netherlands. But they usually buy from the Netherlands.

Numan Bedar is among the few florists dealing directly with Netherlands growers. The 29-year-old is planning to expand his business to Russia and UAE. I am thinking of catering to the Middle East. I see a demand there.

Bedar too feels that the flower culture is yet to catch up in Kashmir. We do not gift flowers at parties,or take it to someone recovering from illness. Those are trends in other states..

Rashid Ahmed Kawoos,a grower who exports flower extract to France,had retired as a police officer and today deals in lavender. Lavender oil is used worldwide for making perfumes and soap. Rosemary acts as a mood booster and skin toner and is produced in farms of Kashmir.

Kawoos would like to see more people in the business. I tell people to grow lavender and rosemary. If it does not work out for them,I will buy their flowers.

Eight years ago,when Kawoos started his business,he had no land to grow lavender. A friend allowed his land him to use to and Kawoos later brought eight acres at Budgam. I was patient,and after three years I started reaping the benefits.