Jasmine from Madurai, celebrated by the Tamil community as ‘Madurai Malli’ and highly rated for its mesmerizing fragrance, is going global. In fact, Madurai has emerged as the jasmine capital of India — its fragrance as popular as the Meenakshi Amman temple.
The scent of this premium variety of ‘Malligai’ flower has now spread as far as the US, with Geographical Indication certification to boot. Backed by the Union Government’s plan to boost floriculture exports, a consignment of ‘Madurai Malli’ took off on Thursday (July 8) and will adorn the shelves of flower markets in the United States of America and very soon in Dubai.
‘Malligai’ flower and its fragrance have been an integral part of Tamil literature and movies, but somehow it failed to get recognition outside Tamil Nadu — unlike silk sarees of Kanchipuram or breakfast favorites like idli and dosa that are immediately identified with Tamil culture. Therefore, Agriculture and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) included jasmine from the Madurai region as a prominent floriculture product and is encouraging its export by offering a slew of incentives to growers.
Challenges in exports
Unlike the export of software or manufactured goods like Tirupur ready-made garments, shipping of floriculture products is a different kettle of fish. Keeping the flowers fresh on way to the destination is a challenge because they are highly perishable. Jasmine and other delicate flowers have to be air-freighted for quick transport.
The global market for flowers is dominated by roses, with high demand during Valentine’s Day. Other flowers are mostly used in making bouquets. At present, flowers like ‘Madurai Malli’ fall in the niche category and find demand only in specific markets as their consumption is limited to certain communities.
Apart from jasmine, APEDA has been encouraging export of button rose, lily, chamanthi and marigold from Tamil Nadu. Vanguard Exports, a Coimbatore-based firm registered with the APEDA, have already shipped several consignments of these flowers. The flowers were sourced from Nilakottai, Dindigul and Sathyamangalam, the Commerce & Industry Ministry said in a statement recently.
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