One day interface meeting was held at ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (ICAR-IIHR), Bengaluru, on April 12, 2023. The meeting, titled ‘Flourishing Together: Innovation and Industry,’ was organized in a hybrid mode aimed at exchanging ideas, sharing knowledge, and collaborating on research to enhance the visibility of floriculture at the national and global level. The meeting was inaugurated with the lighting of the lamp by Prof. Dr. Sanjay Kumar Singh, Director of ICAR-IIHR, Dr. E Srinivas Rao, Adviser (Horticulture), Government of Telangana, Dr. M. Vishwanath, Joint Director of International Flower Auction Center Bengaluru, Mr. Prabhakaran M. from International Flower Auction Center Hosur, Govt of Tamilnadu, Mr. Mammen Papillai MD of Indo-Bloom and Mr. Srikanth Bollapally, President of the Flower Council of India. Introductory remarks Dr. Tejaswini Prakash, Head, Division of Flower & Medicinal Crops, emphasized the importance of public-private partnership in benefiting the floriculture industry.
In a series of panel discussions, major issues related to floriculture were deliberated, including ‘Flowers for Domestic and Export Market,’ ‘Seed and Planting Material,’ ‘Production Technology,’ ‘Aromatic, Therapeutic and Pharmaceutical Industry,’ ‘Landscape and Environment’ and ‘Postharvest and Value Addition.’
The performance of the rose variety Arka Savi being cultivated in the open field was appreciated by the industry and expressed the need for similar varieties of cut flowers that are adaptable to Indian conditions. The utility of the tuberose variety ‘Árka Prajwal’ for extracting aromatic oil was also discussed with the need for high oil content varieties along with high yield. Furthermore, the advantage of the rose variety ‘Arka Parimala’ in therapy was highlighted, and the possibility of involving the health sector in future studies was realized.
Several major industry partners, including NESSO, Synthite, FF Biotech, Sri Sri Tatva, Namdari Seeds, Raheja Groups, and BIAL, were present at the event and shared the challenges and opportunities in the floriculture sector. Eminent panelist from different flower industries shared their experiences, challenges faced, and suggestions to improve the status of the floriculture industry in collaboration with ICAR-IIHR. Multiple varieties developed by ICAR-IIHR (https://iihr.res.in/arka-ebook/, https://iihr.res.in/book-new/) are in great demand, and the institute welcomes private partnerships for the multiplication of seed and planting material.
For more information:
Indian Insititute of Horticultural Research (ICAR-IIHR)
www.iihr.res.in