There is an exotic flower in little Taiwan's diplomatic quiver - orchids. And so seriously does the country take its orchid trade that of the $150 million worth of flowers it exports annually, orchids account for a staggering 77% of the business. Cashing in on the growing recognition of its flower power, Taiwan recently scored some sorely needed international points - it was, after all, banished into global geopolitical wilderness in 1971 when western powers officially recognised China, dismissing Taiwan's competing claim to the mantle of the Chinese republic - by naming orchids after various state leaders, including Queen Elizabeth II and former French first lady Bernadette Chirac.
Last month, it presented Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands with a new breed of orchid, christening the flower 'Happy Venlo' after the Dutch city where it was unveiled. The potency of such flower diplomacy should be evident to a country like India with its diverse floral habitats and huge orchid growing potential. But can India's floriculture industry emulate Taiwan's success? The hurdles, many orchid growers here say, are such that converting this possibility into a lucrative export industry, let alone a tool for diplomacy, is a giant task.
Vikaas Gutgutia, founder and managing director of Ferns N Petals, says that orchids form around 9% (over 1,300 indigenous species) of our flora in India, and that Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Assam are all orchid-rich states. Even Kerala has a congenial climate for commercial orchid cultivation. The bottlenecks, though, are as obvious as the opportunity. "Although local consumption of orchids is increasing, the domestic market is dominated by cheap rejects from Thailand," says Prof SP Vij, secretary of the Orchid Society of India. "As orchid cultivation is cost intensive, local growers simply can't compete with the cheap imports."
Apart from foreign competition, systemic issues abound. "The domestic orchid industry is suffering from the wrong planning of the government," Vij asserts. "While the government does provide financial assistance to orchid growers under various horticulture packages, 70-80% of the grants are fake or given to undeserving candidates. The failure of the authorities to involve orchid promotion societies in policy formulation is the main reason for this mess."
But one state that appears to be making significant strides in the orchid trade is Sikkim. Dubbed as the home of Cymbidium orchids, the state's orchid mission has brought rich rewards for local growers. "Orchid growers in Sikkim have been producing around 10 million cut flowers annually through group cultivation and other programmes of the state government," says former state chief secretary and an authority on orchids KC Pradhan. However, the challenge here is getting the produce to foreign markets. "Post-harvest, orchids have to be shipped out quite fast. But for cultivators in the northeast the shipping infrastructure is lacking. If the Bagdogra airport is upgraded to handle orchid cargo, it will open up foreign markets such as Southeast Asia for local growers," Pradhan affirms.
Norden Pempahishey of Holumba orchid nursery in Darjeeling elaborates other challenges faced by local cultivators. "The commercial Cymbidium orchid has a long gestation period of four to six years. This makes it difficult for small farmers to get into the trade. Secondly, since demand in the orchid industry is determined by changing tastes, it is a challenge to source good orchid varieties to keep pace with emerging trends," says Pempahishey.
Having recently recognised the potential of its orchid industry, India is a latecomer to the global orchid scene. But through the use of cutting-edge technology, this can be turned into an advantage. "If India is serious about using its orchid industry as a diplomatic tool, it has to adopt a step-by-step approach," says Wenchyi Ong, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in New Delhi. "There is good scope for bilateral cooperation between India and Taiwan in the orchid trade. Taiwan can help train Indian orchid growers and even facilitate technology transfer in terms of hybridisation, cloning techniques, packaging and transportation. The biggest advantage of partnering with Taiwan is the low cost of Taiwanese technology," he adds.
Given its orchid-growing potential, India can be at the forefront of the international orchid trade. All that it requires is addressing a few structural issues. A booming orchid industry would not only do wonders for the local economy but also add another dimension to India's soft power. Asif Ali Zardari and Sheikh Hasina Wajed surely would love Indian orchids named after them.
Last month, it presented Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands with a new breed of orchid, christening the flower 'Happy Venlo' after the Dutch city where it was unveiled. The potency of such flower diplomacy should be evident to a country like India with its diverse floral habitats and huge orchid growing potential. But can India's floriculture industry emulate Taiwan's success? The hurdles, many orchid growers here say, are such that converting this possibility into a lucrative export industry, let alone a tool for diplomacy, is a giant task.
Vikaas Gutgutia, founder and managing director of Ferns N Petals, says that orchids form around 9% (over 1,300 indigenous species) of our flora in India, and that Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Assam are all orchid-rich states. Even Kerala has a congenial climate for commercial orchid cultivation. The bottlenecks, though, are as obvious as the opportunity. "Although local consumption of orchids is increasing, the domestic market is dominated by cheap rejects from Thailand," says Prof SP Vij, secretary of the Orchid Society of India. "As orchid cultivation is cost intensive, local growers simply can't compete with the cheap imports."
Apart from foreign competition, systemic issues abound. "The domestic orchid industry is suffering from the wrong planning of the government," Vij asserts. "While the government does provide financial assistance to orchid growers under various horticulture packages, 70-80% of the grants are fake or given to undeserving candidates. The failure of the authorities to involve orchid promotion societies in policy formulation is the main reason for this mess."
But one state that appears to be making significant strides in the orchid trade is Sikkim. Dubbed as the home of Cymbidium orchids, the state's orchid mission has brought rich rewards for local growers. "Orchid growers in Sikkim have been producing around 10 million cut flowers annually through group cultivation and other programmes of the state government," says former state chief secretary and an authority on orchids KC Pradhan. However, the challenge here is getting the produce to foreign markets. "Post-harvest, orchids have to be shipped out quite fast. But for cultivators in the northeast the shipping infrastructure is lacking. If the Bagdogra airport is upgraded to handle orchid cargo, it will open up foreign markets such as Southeast Asia for local growers," Pradhan affirms.
Norden Pempahishey of Holumba orchid nursery in Darjeeling elaborates other challenges faced by local cultivators. "The commercial Cymbidium orchid has a long gestation period of four to six years. This makes it difficult for small farmers to get into the trade. Secondly, since demand in the orchid industry is determined by changing tastes, it is a challenge to source good orchid varieties to keep pace with emerging trends," says Pempahishey.
Having recently recognised the potential of its orchid industry, India is a latecomer to the global orchid scene. But through the use of cutting-edge technology, this can be turned into an advantage. "If India is serious about using its orchid industry as a diplomatic tool, it has to adopt a step-by-step approach," says Wenchyi Ong, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in New Delhi. "There is good scope for bilateral cooperation between India and Taiwan in the orchid trade. Taiwan can help train Indian orchid growers and even facilitate technology transfer in terms of hybridisation, cloning techniques, packaging and transportation. The biggest advantage of partnering with Taiwan is the low cost of Taiwanese technology," he adds.
Given its orchid-growing potential, India can be at the forefront of the international orchid trade. All that it requires is addressing a few structural issues. A booming orchid industry would not only do wonders for the local economy but also add another dimension to India's soft power. Asif Ali Zardari and Sheikh Hasina Wajed surely would love Indian orchids named after them.
Source: timesofindia
Post a Comment
We love to hear from you! What's on your mind?