19 Mar Dried Flowers: A New Paradigm in Floriculture
फूल र्निजलिकारण: पुष्प कृषि में एक नया प्रतिमान Flowers are an integral part of Indian culture. Flowers are being used for offering and decorative purposes all over the country since ancient times. Dried flowers are the everlasting flowers which are made from the suitable plant materials by drying. Dried flowers are the important products of present day floriculture due to their long lasting quality, year round availability, easy handling, low transportation cost, eco-friendly and suitable for subsequent flower products Potpourri, a segment of dried flower is used to give fragrances. Dried flowers occupy a major chunk of the total floriculture. India is the fifth largest exported of dried flowers and the industry exports 500 varieties of flowers from India to 20 countries and is highly in demand in USA and UK markets. India is one of the major exporters of dried flowers to the tune of 5% world trade in dry flowers. This industry shows a growth rate of 15% annually. Potpourris are a major segment of dry flower industry valued at Rs. 55 crore in India alone. Fig : Export of dried flowers and total floricultural products from 1991-2013 (Source: UNCOMTRADE, APEDA) History of dried flowers Dried flower production has been considered as an art for hundreds of years. Fragrant dried flowers and herb garlands...