Floriculture
Floriculture or flower farming, as it is popularly called, is a discipline of Horticulture, and is the study of growing and marketing of flowers and foliage plants. Floriculture includes cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for sale or for use as raw materials in cosmetic and perfume industry and in the pharmaceutical sector. The floral industry today has grown to a much larger proportion and offers a wide scope for growth and profits.
In India, Floriculture industry comprises flower trade, production of nursery plants and potted plants, seed and bulb production, micro-propagation and extraction of essential oils. Though the annual domestic demand for the flowers is growing at a rate of over 25% and international demand at around Rs 90,000 crore, India's share in international market of flowers is negligible. India has a blooming future as far as floriculture is concerned. Enormous genetic diversity, varied agro-climatic conditions, versatile human resources etc, offer India a unique scope for judicious employment of existing resources and exploration of avenues yet untouched.
The employment opportunities in this field are as varied as the nature of work itself. One can join the field of floriculture as farm/estate managers, plantation experts and supervisors, project coordinators etc. Research and teaching are some other avenues of employment in the field. Marketing of floriculture products for different ventures is emerging as a potential segment of this field. Besides, one can work as a consultant, landscape architect etc with proper training. One can also work as entrepreneur and offer employment to others. In addition to these careers, which involve research and actual growing of crops, floriculture also provides service career opportunities, which include such jobs as floral designers, groundskeepers, landscape designers, architects and horticultural therapists. Such jobs require practitioners to deal directly with clients.
