On Valentine Day, many people were wondering wherefrom the beautiful roses they were holding had come from. Few are aware that they are cultivated in Maharashtra and a substantial quantity of them is exported, too.
Gujarat and Maharashtra lead in export of agriculture and allied products in the country. They are followed by Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal on the eastern side. In the north, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are major exporters while in South India, Karnataka and Kerala lead in exports.
Although Maharashtra is the largest state economy in India and is highly industrialised, agriculture continues to be the mainstay or rural employment. It can be said that the state economy is primarily agricultural and rural. To shift the focus to promoting and exporting agro products, therefore, the Maharashtra government has structured its agriculture export policy.
Area under horticulture crops in Maharashtra was over 2225 hectares in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous year’s area. Maharashtra data is updated yearly. The data reached an all-time high of 2650 hectares in 2014 while the record low was at 1673 hectares in 2017. The Maharashtra Agriculture Export Policy is framed with emphasis on agriculture export-oriented production with a “farmers-centric approach” for improved income generation through the active involvement of farmers in export promotion.
With this object, the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board was established. This state-level organization has been working in the field of export of various fresh fruits, vegetable and processed food products for over three decades. Through the Board, export of fruits and vegetables takes place to Europe, USA, South East Asian Countries, Japan and Middle East Countries. The export has been providing a better option for the marketing of the agro commodities and provides an alternative for utilization of surplus production. The Board has ample trained manpower, which is engaged in imparting training to farmers, guiding new exporters and maintaining the facility centres.
The top agricultural exports are identified on the basis of current global and Indian trade. Each commodity is studied on the basis of some important criteria: The current potential of India, the production, the share of Maharashtra in agriculture export vis a vis exports of India, major importing countries and future market trends. Depending on the availability of the farm products in the global market, potential commodities are shortlisted.
The State trade policy provides assurance to processed agricultural products and helps farmers to plan for the overseas market. It eases restrictions on many organic products by securing minimum support prices, export duty, export quota and its capping as well as export permits.
The Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing (Development and Regulation) Act 1963, as amended, has enabled various features like direct marketing, private markets, farmer consumer market, single license systems, special commodity markets, contract farming and an APMC panel for monitoring the whole system. Some exporters make contract farming with growers directly. Thus, exporters can get quality and consistent supply and growers get assured market at pre-determined rates.
Maharashtra AEP targets global markets to ensure a smooth transition of supply chain management with responsiveness and transparency through the value chain and ease of Maharashtra agriculture export regulation. Improvised market access for the international market of specific products and strengthen backward linkages by state agriculture department and forward linkages by the State Agricultural Marketing Board. Active involvement of the Maharashtra government to monitor the implementation programmes of the Maharashtra Agriculture Export Policy ensure transparency in the system.
Quality production and its consistency are the major keys to the success of exports. Export-oriented cluster development across the state is the important key to ensuring surplus produce with the physical and quality measures as per the export demand. Hence, to attain a significant volume of high-quality products and acquire negotiation capacities, it is felt desirable to set up growers’ cooperatives.
The Indian floriculture industry makes the economy of India bloom out loud. The northern and southern parts of the country India are rich in natural resources like plants, fresh flowers, and their seeds, and well equipped with pollination activities which adds to the process of reproduction and invention of new flowers and types. In addition to flowers, modern floricultural crops also produce value-added goods that are exclusive and likely to face less competition on the global market under a WTO scenario. These products include essential oils of rose, tuberose, jasmine, tiger lily, and various plant extracts that are widely used in pharmaceuticals and medicine. Floriculture enterprises produce fresh and dried flowers and leaves for a variety of markets, including wholesale flower markets, florists, retail outlets, and in certain cases for export. There is a large market for both floriculture and horticulture. The future of industrial floriculture is very promising. The scope of commercial floriculture is significantly influenced by several different factors, including soil, environment, labour, transportation and demand.
The many revenue-generating activities in the floriculture business include the production of cut flowers, loose flowers, dry flowers, nurseries, potted plants, the seed industry, the extraction of essential oils, and value-added goods. Seasonal flower and seed production is a well-established industry in Punjab, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. Several seed businesses have established manufacturing units in key flower-growing States to supply the demand for flower seeds.
The Union government has established six agri-export zones for floriculture. They are in Maharashtra, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu (two zones), Uttarakhand, and Karnataka.
The government has launched several programs to promote and develop the Indian floriculture industry, such as “Integrated Development of Commercial Floriculture,” which aims to increase the production and productivity of traditional as well as cut flowers by making quality planting material available, producing high-quality off-season flowers through protected cultivation, improving the handling of flowers after harvest, and training people for a scientific career. Different departments have been established by many state governments to promote floriculture in their respective states.
Floriculture has a bright future and for Indian farmers, it brings a great revenue generation opportunity as demand for flowers and related products is growing within the nation and at a worldwide level. Maharashtra has consistently maintained its top position on the export map and more proactive steps by the state government can open huge potential for the farmers, whose dependence on subsidies and loans will be done away with.
A Column By
Dilip Chaware – Senior Editor
A media professional for 43 years, with extensive experience of writing on
a variety of subjects; he is also a documentary producer and book author.
