Genetic Engineering-Dream or Nightmare?: The Brave New World of Bad Science and Big Business in commercial floriculture crops.
Authors: VINAY SHARMA AND PRAVEEN KUMAR
ASSAM AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY JORHAT , ASSAM
EMAIL ID : vinaysharma965@gmail.com



INTRODUCTION
Floriculture products mainly consist of cut flowers, pot plants, cut foilage, seeds bulbs, tubers, rooted cuttings and dried flowers or leaves. The important floricultural crops in the international cut flower trade are rose, carnation, chrysanthemum, gargera, gladiolus, gypsophila, liastris, nerine, orchids, archilea, anthuriu, tulip, and lilies. Floriculture crops like gerberas, carnation, etc. are grown in green houses. The open field crops are chrysanthemum, roses, gaillardia, lily marygold, aster, tuberose etc. In India about 255 thousand hectares area is under cultivation, and the production of flowers are estimated to be 17.54 million tonnes loose flowers and 543 million tonnes cut flowers. The country has exported 22,947.23 MT of floriculture products to the world for the worth of Rs. 460.75 crores in 2014-15.

Government of India has identified floriculture as a sunrise industry and accorded it 100% export oriented status. Owing to steady increase in demand of flower floriculture has become one of the important Commercial trades in Agriculture. Hence commercial floriculture has emerged as hi-tech activity-taking place under controlled climatic conditions inside greenhouse. Floriculture in India, is being viewed as a high growth Industry. Commercial floriculture is becoming important from the export angle. The liberalization of industrial and trade policies paved the way for development of export-oriented production of cut flowers. The new seed policy had already made it feasible to import planting material of international varieties. It has been found that commercial floriculture has higher potential per unit area than most of the field crops and is therefore a lucrative business. Indian floriculture industry has been shifting from traditional flowers to cut flowers for export purposes. The liberalized economy has given an impetus to the Indian entrepreneurs for establishing export oriented floriculture units under controlled climatic conditions. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), is responsible for export promotion and development of floriculture in India.







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About Author / Additional Info:
Post graduate boys hostel , Hostel no- 6, Room no.-45 , Assam agricultural university , Jorhat