Floriculture:

Present status and growing trade is still in infancy. Floriculture in India, is being viewed as a high growth Industry. Commercial floriculture is becoming important from the export angle. The liberalization of industrial and trade policies paved the way for development of export oriented production of cut flowers. The new seed policy had already made it feasible to import planting material of international varieties.
The government of India offers tax benefits to new export oriented floriculture companies in the form of income-tax holidays and exemption from certain import duties. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority ( APEDA), responsible for export promotion and development of floriculture in India, grants subsidies for establishing cold storage, precooling units, refrigerated vans and green houses, and air freight subsidy to exports. It has been found that commercial floriculture has higher potential per unit area than most of the field crops and is therefore a lucrative business.
According to a report of the APEDA, the total area under flower crops was estimated around 34,000 hectares, which included 24,000 hectares under traditional flowers such as marigold, jasmine, aster, rose, chrysanthemum, tuberose and 10,000 hectares under modern flowers like cornation, rose, gerbera, gladiolous, anthurium.
Returns from floricultural products were estimated at Rs.205 Crores, which included Rs.105 Crores from traditional and Rs. 100 Crores from modern flowers. The data collected by National Horticultural Board .The total business of floriculture products in India in 2005 was Rs.8174 Lakhs while it increased to Rs.10117 Lakhs by April, in 2006. There were more than 300 export-oriented units in India. More than 50% of the floriculture units are based in South zone mainly in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Also West Bengal, Maharashtra, Rajasthan have large areas under floriculture. The domestic flower production goes on increasing annually. Technical collaborations with foreign companies have been approved for India, in order to increase total share in the floriculture world trade.