Kolkata is among the cities that received the biggest consignments of roses from Bengaluru in the run-up to Valentine's Day this year.
The other top domestic destinations for Bengaluru roses included Delhi, Mumbai, Guwahati and Chandigarh, according to the Bengaluru airport authorities.
A single stem of Bengaluru rose sold for Rs 30 to Rs 40 at Kolkata’s College Street on Monday afternoon. “We are selling the local roses from surrounding districts at Rs 20 per stem,” said Dipak Mandal, a florist on College Street.
In the New Market area, a Bengaluru rose sold for Rs 40 to Rs 60. “The demand for roses was also high on February 9, called Chocolate Day,” said Dilip Bhowmik, a florist in New Market.
Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, witnessed a nearly two-fold increase in rose shipments this year before Valentine's Day.
The airport authorities said in a statement that the airport had facilitated the movement of approximately 5.15 lakh kg of roses to 25 international and domestic destinations, compared with 2.7 lakh kg during the same period last year.
"Bengaluru is the biggest exporter of roses in India. Our cargo infrastructure, powered by technology, allows rapid distribution of perishable cargo. This makes Bengaluru airport the preferred cargo airport in south India," said Satyaki Raghunath, the chief strategy & development officer of the airport, .
Domestic rose shipments from Bengaluru witnessed a significant improvement, increasing from 1.03 lakh kg in 2021 to 3.15 lakh kgs (6.5 million stems) this year.
Around 2 lakh kg (7.3 million stems) were exported to international destinations this year, compared with 1.7 lakh kg last year.
Among the top international destinations were Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, London, Amsterdam, Kuwait, Auckland, Beirut, Manila, Muscat and Dubai, said the statement.