Bengaluru’s rose exports more than halve in five years, but domestic markets surge

Bengaluru’s rose exports to global markets to cater to the Valentine’s Day demand have shrunk by more than 50% in five years.

The rose exports fell from five to six million stems five years ago to 10 to 15 lakhs in the current season, apex body representatives and farmers told The Hindu.

The export of roses became unviable for most growers as the government introduced 18% GST on freight on the sector.

A variety of roses kept ready for auction in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit:
SUDHAKARA JAIN

More so, it was already reeling under huge cost pressure, especially after the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in 2021 withdrew transport subsidy scheme that used to offset high freight costs for certain agriculture, horticulture and floriculture produce, including roses, said stakeholders.

GST and no support

“With 18% GST and without support from the APEDA, the export cost has gone up substantially to the extent of making global markets unreachable for many farmers in India. The landing cost of our roses in global markets are much higher than the prices of roses from Ethiopia or Kenya,” said T.M. Aravind, president of the South India Floriculture Association (SIFA).

Also, Indian roses are witnessing rough weather in global markets, including Japan, Singapore, Australia, Middle East, Canada, etc., even though the country, especially southern States, produce high quality roses with a shelf life of 15 days. In contrast, roses from other countries come with a shelf life of only a week to 10 days, added Mr. Aravind.

“The industry is actually shrinking, without government’s support. We used to have up to 5,000 active rose growers contributing to both domestic and export markets. Now, the number of exporters have reduced to 150 or 200 as export costs soared,” he observed.

According to the SIFA, Karnataka now produces 10 to 15 lakh stems of roses, including Taj Mahal or Bangalore Red, which commands a price of ₹30 to ₹35 per stem, and Yellow Gold Strike at ₹20 and Dark Purple at ₹25 a stem, a day, of which some 10% to 15% go to exports market during the Valentine’s Day season. About 30% to 35% of the rose production was exported until the pandemic, indicating a huge decline in exports.

However, the domestic market for roses is on a steady rise. The International Flower Auction Bangalore (IFAB), situated at Hebbal, on Friday auctioned 1 million stems of roses, mostly meant for the domestic markets.

M. Vishwanath, Managing Director of IFAB, told The Hindu, “This is the first time ever that we hit the one million mark in auction in one day. Our last season peak was 9.20 lakh stems. The average price realisation per stem has also gone up from ₹10 to ₹15 to up to ₹20.”

Domestic demand

According to Mr. Vishwanath, there is a huge demand for roses in the domestic market and this upturn started from February 2, became solid on February 7, the World Rose Day, and peaked later for the upcoming Valentine’s Day, weddings and other events in the domestic market.

“These days people increasingly want to celebrate milestones. They are ready to spend, and roses are an integral part of these celebrations,” Mr. Vishwanath added.

Yashoda Karuturi, a 25-year-old CEO, Hoovu Fresh, said that the domestic market for roses has evolved a lot in the last couple of years. She has already sold two lakh stems of roses in the local market to cater to the Valentine’s Day demand and was expecting to sell over 5 lakh stems of roses by February 14.

“We are selling one lakh stems of roses per day this season in the domestic market with direct sales and through quick commerce. I am very optimistic about the domestic industry, given the growing demand and a transparent platform created by the IFAB,” Ms. Karuturi added.

Published – February 12, 2026 11:16 pm IST