: Horticulture Business

Horticulture Business

Horticulture business mainly comprises of horticulture food processing, fruit and vegetable retailing and floriculture industry.

Horticulture Food Processing
Spoilage of fresh fruits and vegetables due to their short shelf life and subsequent wastage of large quantities of fruits and vegetables is a major issue even today. There is only one way to minimize this food wastage, that is horticulture food processing. Fruit and vegetable processing holds the key to curtail food wastage down to the possible minimum level. Another major advantage of horticulture food processing is its value-addition.

Horticulture food processing forms a major percent of the entire food processing industry. Horticulture foods like fruits and vegetables are processed into various value-added products such as pickles, jams, squashes, concentrates, marmalade, fruit mixes, canned vegetables, and canned fruits for long-term consumption.

Fruit and Vegetable Retailing
Fruit and Vegetable Retailing is a major horticulture business that employs millions of small time entrepreneurs. Retail market of fruits and vegetables has tremendous growth potential in the immediate future. Due to the increased health awareness of the consumers, consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables are also increasing day by day.

Floriculture Industry
Floriculture has also evolved into a big horticulture business activity now. Floriculture industry holds huge potential for foreign exchange. Floriculture industry constitutes production of loose and long stem cut flowers, fillers, dry flowers, nursery production of ornamental plants and flower seeds including bulbs. Production of value-added products from flowers also holds significant commercial importance. The international market for flowers and accessories is as high as US$ 55 billion and has been growing at a steady pace. About 125 countries are involved in the international trade in cut flowers and foliages. The main countries exporting fresh flowers are Holland, Colombia, Israel, Ecuador, Spain and Italy. Holland has world’s largest flower market at Amsterdam. Holland is famous for its anthurium production. Anthuriums have a growing demand worldwide and Holland is the center of world’s high quality anthurium production. Anthuriums and orchids also find place among world’s top ten popular cut flowers. Demand for rose flowers is the highest followed by the demand for chrysanthemums and tulips. Lilies and gerbera are also in great demand.

As far as the demand for flowering pot plants are concerned, pot chrysanthemum and poinsettia are largest flowering pot plants traded in world. 80% of this trade is happening in USA alone. Similarly, Cyclamen is the largest traded commodity among foliage plants. In Middle Eastern, markets, all types of flowers are in demand with rose flowers being most preferred. There is also a high demand for anthuriums and orchids, bird-of-paradise, lilies, chrysanthemum, tuberose, gladioli and foliage plants.