February 14, 2022: Bengaluru airport witnessed a near two-fold increase in rose shipments in the run-up to Valentine's Day this year by facilitating the movement of approximately 5.15 lakh kgs of roses to 25 international and domestic destinations vs. 2.7 lakh kgs shipped in 2021.
Domestic shipments witnessed a 200 percent increase to 3.15 lakh kgs (~6.5 million stems) compared to 1.03 lakh kgs in 2021. Around 2 lakh kgs (~7.3 million stems) were exported to international destinations compared to 1.7 lakh kgs last year.
"Bengaluru is the biggest exporter of roses in India," says Satyaki Raghunath, chief strategy & development officer, Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL). "At BLR Airport, we take pride in becoming a channel to aid the local community, growers and shippers by facilitating shipment of their produce while maintaining freshness. Our cargo infrastructure, powered by technology, provides rapid distribution of perishable cargo, making BLR Airport the preferred cargo airport in South India."
The top domestic destinations for roses include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Guwahati and Chandigarh. Among the top international destinations were Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, London, Amsterdam, Kuwait, Auckland, Beirut, Manila, Muscat and Dubai.
In FY 2020-21, Bengaluru airport, with a cold-chain handling capacity of 60,000 metric tonnes, was ranked No.1 for perishable shipments, processing 48,130 metric tonnes. The airport accounted for 31 percent of India's perishable shipments.