International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

author(s)
Niranjan Reddy P, Jagadeesh MS, Abhijeet Mudhle and Boya Vaishnavi

abstract
Floriculture has emerged as a dynamic sector in India’s agricultural economy, offering high-value opportunities for export diversification, employment generation, and sustainable rural development. Despite India’s favourable agro-climatic conditions and rich varietal diversity, its share in global floriculture trade remains marginal. This study examines India’s production performance, trade competitiveness, and export potential of floricultural products. Utilizing secondary data from sources such as FAOSTAT, ITC Trade Map, and UN Comtrade, the research analyses competitiveness using Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) and Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage (RSCA) indices, while export potential is estimated through the Panel Gravity Model employing the Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood (PPML) approach. The results reveal that India’s total production of floricultural crops reached 695.8 thousand tonnes of cut flowers and 2,160.33 thousand tonnes of loose flowers in 2023–24, with major contributions from West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. The global floriculture market is dominated by the Netherlands (47.7%), followed by Colombia (8.8%) and Italy (5%), whereas India’s share remains modest at 0.3% of total exports. The RCA and RSCA values indicate that India currently experiences a comparative disadvantage in international trade. However, the PPML gravity results suggest strong positive effects of GDP, EU membership, and trade agreements on export potential, while exchange rate volatility and population size of importing countries negatively influence exports. The findings emphasize that India holds considerable untapped potential in high-value European and Asian markets. Strategic policy interventions—focused on infrastructure, quality certification, and market diversification—can strengthen India’s competitiveness, enhance export revenues, and transform floriculture into a globally competitive agri-business segment.