Ever since times immemorial the
eternal beauty of flowers has been used by human beings to convey their most
basic and heartfelt emotions of joy or sorrow. Flowers are known to have
existed on planet earth for millions of years and if we are careful enough,
they would continue to bundle the message of joy, forever.
Scientists have documented over
270,000 species of flowers that are living in the 21st Century. Such
is the mystique of flowers that Empress Josephine of France collected 2,562
different roses while Emperor of China
owned over 600 books about Roses. The oil extracted from the roses in
the Emperor's garden was only to be used by nobles and high ranking dignitaries
of the court and commoners found in possession of even the smallest amount, of
this exotic oil were condemned to death!
According to an old Celtic
legend, the spirits of children who died in childbirth scattered daisies on the
earth to cheer their sorrowing parents. Early Christians called this flower Mary's
Gold, and placed it by the statues of the Virgin Mary. Napoleon was
nicknamed "Corporal Violet" because of his beloved Josephine’s particular obsession with the
flower. King Henry VIII ate daisies to relieve his stomach ulcer pain. The
Romans mixed Calendula a member of the marigold family, with vinegar to season
their meat and salad dishes. Calendula blossoms were blended with wine to
soothe indigestion, and its petals were used in ointments to cure skin
irritations, jaundice, sore eyes, and toothaches.
Traditionally flowers have been
grown for aesthetic, social function
besides extraction of essential oil and manufacturing of perfumes. Flowers have
also been grown in private and public
gardens and nurseries. Where as earlier, demand for flowers mainly came from
institutional buyers like hotels and clubs for parties and special occasions,
this pattern is changing. Cut flowers are becoming part of the consumption
patterns of people with high incomes. Now apart from their aesthetic value flowers are also being appreciated for their
economic value. Floriculture that is cultivation of flowers under controlled
conditions for sale in the domestic and the international market is a growing
industry worldwide growing at around 10-15 per cent per annum. Much of this is
a direct outcome of improvement in the general well-being and affluence,
particularly among the middle classes with the money and the purchasing power,
to buy brightest and the best goods and services, money can buy. But when it
comes to human emotions what could be a better substitute for a small red rose
– which does not cost much but conveys feelings better than a thousand words.
Cultivation of cut flowers has slowly developed into a big US $ 35
billion industry in about 145 countries with enormous potential for further
expansion into hereto unexplored, newer emerging markets into other parts of
the world. And this is just a tip of the ice-berg as consumption of cut
flowers is so far largely concentrated in three regions: Western Europe, North
America and Japan. About 75% of the international trade comes from within
Europe. The highest growth is expected in Japan and the USA.
The US, has the largest share of the total world consumption, followed by
Germany, Italy and France. Germany alone accounts for 30% of the world imports
of cut flowers. Besides Germany, the United States, France and the United
Kingdom are big importers.
Flowers have been an integral
part of Indian culture. Be it a religious festival, social ritual or an
occasion to celebrate an event in daily life – no moment is complete without
flowers for decoration or gifting as
bouquets to someone special, both home and work place. Floriculture in India,
though still in its stage of infancy is a Rs 286.45 crore industry offering as
many as 17500 varieties flowering plants like roses, carnations, orchids,
gladioli and anthurium. Besides flowers, India also exports perfumes, seeds, bulbs,
dried flowers, ferns, leaves and grass.
This is supported by the demand in Europe,
America, Australia, Japan and Singapore. The climatic condition in most of
these countries does not favor year around cultivation of these flowers and
many of them have to import flowers from other countries. The major importing
countries of Cut Flowers are Netherlands, USA, Germany, France, UK,
Switzerland, Italy and Japan. The major exporting countries include
Netherlands, Columbia, Ecuador, Israel, Spain and Kenya. Being a major market
for floriculture, Netherlands both imports and re-exports the flowers. The most
important flower traded in the international market is still Rose; however,
others like Chrysanthemum, Carnation, Gerbera, Dahlia, Poinsettia, Orchids, Lily
etc. are also marketed in large quantities in these countries.
The flower industry comprises the
cultivation and trade of cut flowers, cut foliage, potted and bedding plants.
The main representatives of cut flowers are: the rose, chrysanthemum, carnation
and lily. Potted plants and cut flowers have an almost 80% share of the world
trade in ornamental plant products.Gladiolus is an important floral crop for
the cut-flower trade. Its magnificent spikes in wide range of colors remain
fresh for a pretty long time. Cut spikes are much valued for making floral
arrangement for interior decoration and are in constant demand.
Two important components of the floriculture
industry are trade of cut flowers and foliage and supply of propagation
material including seeds, bulbs, tubers, and cutting-raised plants and tissue
culture-raised plants.
According to a "preparatory
study" implemented by APEDA, tremendous export potential for orchids in
North-East India could translate into a commercially viable enterprise. There
is a good potential for the export of traditional flowers to meet the demands
of the ethnic population in different countries. Presently traditional flowers
are exported to Singapore and Malaysia on a small scale. The traditional flower
industry generates employment particularly for women in semi-urban and rural
areas who are involved in the various labor stages of this trade from growing
to picking, marketing and finally value additions like making garlands etc.
Another encouraging area in the
traditional flower industry is "floral oils". There is a growing
market for floral oils in the perfume industries of developed countries.
Essential oil industries can also create employment
opportunities. Yet another area in which traditional flowers show potential is
the ‘pigment’ industry. Traditional flowers like marigold and Bachelor’s Button
are used for the extraction of pigments and used in multifarious items as
natural coloring substances.
This is an upcoming and growing industry and
shall stimulate the production of specific traditional flowers on a large
scale. Corporate companies are getting into this new field through contract
farming. Another promising area is the dry flower industry. Dried flower and
plants have been exported for the last 30 years and today, India is one of the
leading countries in the field. Not just flowers, but other plant parts like
leaves, stems and pods are also used in the dry flower industry.
The existing floriculture
products of the North Eastern states are mainly begonias, chrysanthemum,
cineraria, dahlia, aster, gladioli, roses, lilies and carnations. The factors
which contribute to North east’s strength in this area include an overall high
literacy rate, rural electricity and water supply covering more than 90%
villages besides a network of roads, rail and air. The region thus has the
potential to emerge as a strategic base to tap the vast potential in the
emerging markets of Mynmar, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Combodia, Indonesia
and other East and South East Asian countries which constitute almost half the
world population.
In
addition to fresh flowers, there is a good demand for floral handicrafts made
out of dehydrated flowers and foliage. Flowers, branches and twigs can be
dehydrated to retain the shape and colour of original fresh flowers.
Arrangement of dehydrated flowers and foliage in sealed transparent glass or
plastic jars make very good decoration pieces.
The
varied forest types of eastern Himalaya exhibit an enormous floristic
diversity. Apart from large number of timber species, there are innumerable
varieties of orchids, medicinal plants, ferns, bamboos, canes, and even plants
of biological curiosities like parasites and saprophytes. Other important group
of plants are Rhododendrons, Hedychiums and oaks.
The
North Eastern region can proudly boast of more than 600 species of orchids, 52
species of rhododendron, 18 species of hedychium, 16 species of oak, 18
species of canes, 45 species of bamboo in addition to large number of medicinal
and aromatic plants. Orchids
make up one of the largest families of flowering plants. According to an
estimate about 20,000 species of Orchid can be found all over the world. India
is a significant producer of both wild and hybrid orchids with over 1,600
species of orchids which constitute almost 10 percent of the world orchid
flora. Out of these over 600 are to be found in Arunachal alone. Among others
this Orchid Paradise has some very exotic varieties
like Sita-Pushpa and Draupadi-Pushpa, which were believed to have been worn by
Sita and Draupadi for ornamentation. Many of these orchids are rare, endangered
and highly ornamental with long-lasting flower qualities.
Another state in north eastern
India, Meghalaya, also can boast of a
wide variety of plants which occur naturally. Meghalaya's endemic Pitcher Plant
found in the Jaintia, Khasi and Garo Hills
remains an explicable phenomenon
to the botanists. The Khasi tribals call it “Tiew-Rakot, which means
demon-flower or devouring-plant while the Jaintias call it Kset Phare. Kset
meaning net with a lid and Phare means
fly. The Garos call the plant Memang-Koksi, which literally means the basket of
the devil. It is an unique variety of carnivorous plant. When the plant attains
maturity, the lid can open and shut itself trapping unsuspecting insects inside
the pitcher.
Meghalaya is also a treasure
trove of as many as 325 species of
varied and colorful orchids which grow in the meadows, hill-slopes and swamps
and all the wayside all over the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills. Orchids in
Meghalaya grow at different heights, mostly on trees and mossy rocks.
Meghalaya can also boast of a
wide collection of medicinal plants like Ipecac, Rauvolfia serpentina,
Cinchona, Abromine, Chaulmoogra Oil, Croton Oil, Eucalyptus, Castor Oil, Chiretta,
Solanum khasianum, Casearia vareca, Zanthoxylum armatum, Hedyotis scandens,
Paederia foetida, Salix alba, Anacardium occidentale, Cinnamomum, Taxus baccata
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