COIMBATORE: Rose exports from Krishnagiri, the hub for premium quality of roses, are on a downward streak as farmers here are unable to produce globally preferred flower varieties due to ‘royalty issues’.
Many rose varieties grown in the State are outdated and no longer in demand in the international market. “Several varieties are over 20 years old and have gone totally out of fashion. Our farmers are at loss as foreign breeders in countries like Netherland have also turned down our request to get breeding rights for certain latest flowers as they don’t trust Indian farmers by suspecting of involving in large scale illegal production,” said Bala Siva Prasad, Member of floriculture committee in Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH). He is also the president of Hosur Small Farmers Association.
To save the ailing farming sector, the floriculturists sought the intervention of the state government to resolve the issues and help them breed new varieties.
“Rose exports tend to be modest in the range of 25 lakh to 30 lakh stems and priced at a drastically low in the current season of upto Rs 18 as against the usual Rs 22 to Rs 24 per stem,” claimed farmers.