Guwahati, Oct 24: The declining value of floriculture in the northeastern states, barring Assam, could compensate farmers as the Centre has decided to promote oil palm in that region.
The gross value of output (GVO) from floriculture in this region has declined by 5-100 percent between 2011-12 and 2019-20. But Assam is the only state with a 251% growth.
According to the GVO on agriculture and allied sector report, the country’s value of floriculture has increased by 55 percent to ₹26,987.41 crores in 2019-20 from ₹17,365.38 crores in 2011-12. Though the export increased by a similar proportion during the nine years period under review, its share in the value remains around 2 percent.
“Floriculture is something much more than subsidy while many of the projects could not be sustained as the objective was different. There has to be some re-orientation in subsidy so that the farmers/entrepreneurs who get into this sector also are able to access the right information,” said Praveen Sharma, president of the Indian Society of Floriculture Professionals.
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As per the National Statistical Office data, the total value of floriculture in — Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland, and Manipur – declined 31 percent from ₹277.19 crores in 2011-12 to ₹191.13 crores in 2019-20. Sikkim has witnessed a fall of 34 percent to ₹157.25 crores in the nine years.
The data for Meghalaya and Tripura have not been available, whereas Assam has seen the GVO jumping from ₹128.89 crores to ₹452.43 crores.
“There have been a lot of measures taken by the state government, including to promote floriculture under the Centre’s Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) scheme. This along with increased demand due to urbanization and economic and social activities in Assam have helped in the growth of the sector,” said Pradip Mahanta of Assam Agricultural University.
India’s floriculture exports increased 48 percent to ₹541.61 crores in 2019-20 from ₹365.32 crores in 2011-12. But the increase was 34 percent in 2021-22 at ₹771.41 crores from ₹575.98 crores in the previous year, promising a brighter future for the flower trade in India.
“As only serious players are left in floriculture, there may be 15 percent annualized growth for the next five years,” Sharma said.
