Flowers

Though flower cultivation has been practised in India since times immemorial, floriculture has blossomed into a viable business only in recent years. The increased growing of contemporary cut-flowers like rose, gladiolus, tuberose, carnation, etc. has led their use for bouquets and arrangements for gifts, as well as decoration of both home and workplace. A growing market, as a result of improvement in the general level of well-being in the country and increased affluence, particularly among the upper and the middle classes, has led to transformation of the activity of flower growing into a well developed industry. Availability of diverse agro-climatic conditions in the large country, facilitates production of all major flowers throughout the year in some part or the other, and improved transportation facilties, have increased the availability of flowers all over the country.

India has made noticeable advancement in the production of flowers. Floriculture is estimated to cover an area of 1.14 lakh hectares with a production of 670,000 million tonnes of loose flowers and 13,010 million tonnes of cut flowers.

A major programme, namely National Horticulture Mission (NUM; was launched in the country during the Tenth Five Year Plan with effect from 2005-06. The main objectives of the Mission are to enhance horticulture production through area based regionally differentiated strategies to improve nutritional security and income support to farm households, and to promote and disseminate technologies.