BENGALURU: Classic reds or pretty pastels, one-of-a-kind roses from Bengaluru are flying to different
Indian cities
and across the
world
in the run-up to
Valentine's Day
. The Garden City seems to have become the fount of love, with the cupid-struck saying it with exotic roses.
According to International Flower
Auction
Bangalore (IFAB), which brings sellers and buyers on a common platform to facilitate auction of high-quality cut-flowers every day, some 4-5 lakh stemmed roses were being sold or auctioned a day on average since Feb 1.
Monday alone saw sale of 9.2 lakh stemmed roses, the highest daily tally at IFAB for the Indian market.
"On Tuesday, we saw sales of nearly 8 lakh stemmed roses for Bengaluru market alone," IFAB managing director M Vishwanath told TOI.
However, data for the flowers auctioned for the international market could not be immediately accessed.
The demand for Bengaluru's roses has peaked because of this key reason: Valentine's Day coming in the midst of a packed wedding season. Over 40-45% of buyers prefer classic red roses, while pastels are picked up mostly for weddings. Vishwanath said Bengaluru rose production has increased by 30% over the previous year.
'Inclination towards yellow & peach roses in B'luru market'
He said: "We see a great demand for Bengaluru's roses, which are known around the world for excellent quality. Over the years, Bengaluru's market has brought a diversity of colours in their production as well. I believe the reason for increase in auction bids in domestic exports is because Valentine's Day is clashing with the wedding season."
"While red roses are an all-time favourite, there has been a steady inclination towards peach and yellow roses, and other pastel colours," added Vishwanath.
Veena AM, assistant general manager at IFAB, said, "While the Netherlands is the highest consumer of Bengaluru's roses, this year it is Malaysia, followed by Singapore. The maximum and minimum prices were stable, with each stemmed rose sold at an average price of Rs 10."
However, Srikanth Bollapally, president of Global Flower council of India and one of the largest growers of roses in the city, said, "While domestic market was extraordinary this year, international exports dipped by over 70%. One of the many reasons is increase in cargo prices, while the average price of the roses dropped by Rs 2 when compared with last year. With Valentine's Day and wedding season coming at the same time this year, we could sell out the production."
English (US) ·