Floriculture
success story praised in holland
T
he ongoing Covid-19 crisis over the last four and a half months has taken a huge toll on the entire Floriculture industry worldwide, including India. “Our farmer friends had just started recovering from their losses caused by the use of artificial plastic flowers, but now this pandemic worldwide has hit them hard”, says Dr. Bhagyashree Patil, Chairperson & MD of Rise n’ Shine Group of Companies, Pune, India. Over the last months, this Indian tissue culture plant material producer company is doing their utmost best to bring the situation near to normal by organizing several webinars and bringing the industry together to overcome this. While hoping for better days, their farmers started replanting. “Success is all about growing together with others” they say and they are therefore also proud to announce that they are now member of the World Flower Council. Pandemic affecting the chain The modern floriculture
Rose plot at Rise n’ Shine with Dr. Bhagyashree Patil
industry is a global web of businesses comprising breeders, propagators, growers, exporters, shippers, importers, wholesalers, and distributors that operate in an inter-dependent manner to bring all-year-round products to a huge number of consumers around the world. And according to Dr. Bhagyashree Patil, because of this interdependence that the worldwide floriculture industry has been one to experience the greatest impact of the COVID-19 crisis since mid-March.
Carnation planting at Om Sri Sai Flowers Bangalore
16
Floriculture Today August 2020
So how is the situation in India? “Like we have seen in other countries and what we are still seeing in India is that growers are grappling with excess supplies of their products as their harvests cannot get to their intended customers due to disruptions caused by the pandemic. Production and harvests are further being disrupted as lockdowns and restrictions on movement obstruct transportation, labour, and demand.”
Many Indian families impacted The floriculture industry is a major employer in the rural parts of India. “Many semiskilled, unskilled labourers have been employed in farms who earn a livelihood for their families. Hard decisions are to be made everywhere. In the major production areas in India, growers have to balance the cost of securing the livelihoods of their employees while maintaining the productive capacity of plants in the ground for the future, all from significantly reduced income.” Efforts to bring the situation near to normal At Rise n’ Shine they are doing their utmost best to support the families in need and to bring the situation near to normal. “We have always believed in supporting the people who have helped the floriculture industry flourish through their contribution, even in the toughest of times. So, to help our floriculture growers and farmers in this time of need, we are trying our best to bring the
Rise n’ Shine distributing flowers to COVID warrior doctors
