Experts call India’s floriculture industry sunshine sector

Nursery Today    29-May-2025
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Nauni: The 33rd Annual Group Meeting of the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Floriculture got underway at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni. ICAR-Directorate of Floricultural Research (DFR), Pune, in collaboration with UHF and the AICRP on Floriculture, has been organizing the three-day meeting. A huge number of experts, including scientists, university faculty, and professionals, were present during the event.
 

UHF Vice Chancellor Prof. Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, the chief guest, called floriculture a "smart livelihood" for youth and stressed turning research into real-world businesses. He also highlighted the need for short-term, skill-based courses and solutions to climate change challenges.

 
Dr. Sudhakar Pandey, Assistant Director General at ICAR, described floriculture as a "sunshine sector" growing at 10% annually—twice as fast as agriculture. He shared that India’s annual floriculture exports exceed Rs 2,700 crore, with dry flowers making up 70% of the value. He called for more domestic flower breeding and closer ties between researchers and entrepreneurs.
 

Dr. Sanjeev Chauhan, UHF Director of Research, praised Himachal’s growth in floriculture and expressed hope for progress in the North East. He shared updates on UHF’s orchid research. Experts also discussed new areas like essential oil extraction, edible flowers, and natural dyes. They also urged them to minimize the use of artificial flowers and use more and more natural flowers.

 

On this occasion, several publications and floral products were unveiled, and top floriculturists were honoured. In the coming days, experts will present future strategies for the development of the floriculture industry in the country.

 
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