Come Valentine?s Day, thousands of lovers across the globe, will exchange greetings with ?Made in India? roses.
?Taj Mahal?, a new variety, of rose will make its presence felt for the first time during Valentine?s Day, which falls on February 14.
In 2008, Tanflora (Tanflora Infrastructure Park Ltd is a 50:50 joint venture between Tidco and MNA Flora Pvt Ltd, Bangalore) promised to the world a million ?Tajmahals?, the red roses with a tinge of black at the bottom edge of the bold petals. The promise for the 2010 ?Lover?s Day is pink ?Kohinoors?, named after inimitable jewel of India. It is given exclusively to Tanflora by Moerheim Roses of Holland for commercial cultivation and marketing.
Already one million ?Tajmahals?, along with four million roses of other colours, are in the retail outlets in Europe, Asia and Australia. Next year, with the ?Kohinoors?, the target is 8 million roses.
Tanflora plans to patent one dominant new variety in each of the main colours every year and be a leading global player in roses??, S Ramasundaram, chairman of Tanflora, who is also the chairman and managing director of Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (Tidco), said.
The company exported 1.4 million roses in 206-07. Export went up to 11 million in 2007-08 and in 208-09 it would be 30 million stems, expected to fetch Rs 16 crore, Najeeb Ahmed, managing director, told a press conference at Hosur on Wednesday. Tanflora has plans to expand the total area to 50 hectares including its own 12 hectares and raise rose production to 70 million stems from 2010.
He said Valentine?s Day was the peak season for rose exports and what was only one million in 2007 has risen to 5 million in 2009. It would be 8 million next year he said.
Najeeb said the global melt down , in a way, might be a boost for rose sales, as it was the least priced gift even the poorest person could buy for his loved one. ??The price of a rose is too little to make an impact on anybody?s budget, but its l intrinsic emotional value and the feeling it conveyed will be immense and many more may go for roses??, he said.
Tanflora operates on a co-operative model. It has its own 3 hectares and 25 farmer partners who have 2 hectare each under rose cultivation. Sourcing and supply of the planting materials, fertilisers, cropping technology, irrigation technology, and processing, marketing and exports are done by Tanflora.
??This ensures both quality and quantity, most essential to be a global player. Tanflora has also become the world?s 4th largest rose exporter after the two farms in Kenya and one in Columbia??, he said.
The company has also started exports of planting materials and ready-made bouquets to several countries.
Najeeb said firm marketing arrangements were being made with major importers in Japan, Europe, Australia, the Gulf and East Asian countries. There was also plan to have own unpacking and marketing facilities in major importing countries.