Cut rose production is likely to dip by 20-25%, hitting the country’s export potential, due to continuous rains in Hosur and its surrounding regions, on the outskirts of Bangalore, which is the country’s rose production hub.
The quality and quantity of roses produced in ?poly green house? structures in Hosur will be affected because of the rains, Ramesh Reddy, a Hosur-based cut rose producer, said, adding that as sunlight is the most important factor in rose cultivation.
Generally, farmers sell cut roses for up to Rs 5 per stem. But this season, the price of cut rose might crash to Rs 1 to Rs 2 per stem if the ?poly green house? structure in the Hosur belt fails to produce ?healthy? roses.
Krishnagiri District Horticulturists Association president V Venkatachalam said November and December are crucial months for rose cultivation because of Christmas, New Year and Valentine?s Day. The flowers should be picked from mid-December for exports, which could be hampered this year because of the rains.
The growth of flower and stem takes place during November and they are ready to be plucked in December. But this season, rains have spoiled the quality of flowers. The export quality rose stem should be in the range of 60 cm to 80 cm. This kind of growth in stem is possible only if there was adequate sunlight, said J Manjunath of Sivadarsh Exports.
There are around 600 small farmers and 15 large companies covering around 350 hectares involved in cut flower cultivation through ?poly green house? technology in Hosur region. Around 8 to 10 million cut roses are exported ever year from Hosur belt, particularly during Christmas and New Year season. Flower shipment from Hosur ?poly green houses? account for close to 30% in the country?s total cut rose exports of around Rs 500 crore per annum.