Page 29 - ITLN March - April 2022 issue

lowers is an emotion business,
says Mammen Mappillai, MD of
Indo Bloom Ltd and rose farmer
Ffrom Bengaluru, India who has From four shipments
been growing roses in two of his farms of 500 kilos each week,
and exporting them for close to 30 years. we have come down to
Starting out as a 32-year-old with no
support or information about floriculture hardly one shipment
Mappillai describes his journey as a a week because of
'roller coaster ride' mirroring perhaps the freight costs post-
India's own burgeoning perishable pandemic
logistics business.
Now hailed as a sunrise sector by Mammen Mappillai
the Indian government, apex trade body Indo Bloom Ltd
APEDA (Agricultural and Processed
Food Products Export Development
Authority) cites that India exported first year, I recall that we had to send
15,695.31 tonnes of floriculture products the exports to Bombay, clear it in the
to the world for the worth of Rs. 575.98 domestic cargo and then put it on the
crores/USD77.84millions in 2020-21. international cargo from there. There
The major export destinations included were a tremendous amount of issues
USA, Netherland, UAE, UK, and related to heating. At the old Bangalore
Germany during the same period. Airport (HAL Airport), there was no
His journey also traces a coming perishable centre and few international
of age of the perishables supply chain flights. Instead, they had a 300 sq feet
for flower logistics in India where icebox which was not usable and a cool
the grower/producer, clearing agent, room/port came in much later. Once
transporter, customs, the airlines, the airport shifted to Devanahalli, they
and the consignee make up important built up the perishable centre there
cogs in the wheel. Inspired by the and now there is a dedicated area with
Dutch who are experts in floriculture, multiple rooms where they can maintain
Mammen's foray in the nineties began perishables at different temperatures
with a visit to some of the large Dutch and maintain their efficacy."
flower auctions including the Aalsmeer When it comes to flower logistics, two
Flower auction which is the largest levels of checks are done including the
flower auction in the world. phytosanitary certification and customs
"In those days there were no clearance before the flowers take to the
greenhouses in India as the culture skies. Mappillai adds, "Even after the
was just not there. We found a Dutch perishable centre at the old Bangalore
consultant and went there, saw their airport was set up, there was no
auctions and systems, and were permanent customs person or X-raying
awestruck. We realized that there is happening in a controlled environment.
a channel and potential to sell this Flowers had to wait in the hold and
product," he says. customs officials had to come and clear
Starting with a single farm it. Flowers are a perishable commodity
in September 1993, Mappillai and you are responsible for them till it
would earlier grow roses and gets sold. So we took it up with APEDA
chrysanthemums but began focussing who did tremendous work and in a quick
on roses at a later point owing to water span of 2-3 years they aided in building
shortages. Today with two farms in cool rooms in all the export hubs like
Doddaballapur and a staff of 45 people, Bangalore, Bombay, and Chennai."
he grows 15 different colours of roses Earlier, Mappillai recalls that clearing
and cultivates one of the biggies of the a consignment of roses would not be
rose market - the red roses! done at a cool temperature. He recalls
However, not all was well in the trucks lining up for clearances and
nascent perishable transport and signing multiple invoices to ensure all
trade back in the 90s India. "In the the documents are in place.

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