With Valentine's Week around the corner, not everything is rosy for India's flower growers. While roses flood markets ahead of February 14, farmers exporting blooms are grappling with soaring air freight costs that have sharply eroded their competitiveness in international markets.
Global flower trade is dominated by growers in Kenya, Ethiopia and Colombia, which produce at scale and supply major markets worldwide. India was once a steady exporter as well, but that position has weakened in recent years. "After Covid, airline freight charges have gone up by nearly 200 per cent, and an 18 per cent GST on air freight has made exports even more unviable," said Srikanth Bollapally, president of the Grower Flower Council of India and director of the South India Floriculture Association.
The steep rise in logistics costs has hit volumes hard. Bollapally said India exported over 10 million flower stems in the first 10 days of the Valentine season last year. This year, exports during the same period have dropped to just 3–4 million stems. "When freight costs rise so drastically, we are unable to match international prices. As a result, volumes have come down sharply," he said.
Karnataka, one of India's key floriculture hubs, reflects this trend. The state accounts for nearly 30 per cent of India's rose output, producing close to 10 lakh stems a day during peak periods.
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