Introduction and future of

floriculture in Pakistan

Muhammd Bader Fareed

Agriculture(morning)
Section B
Contents
1. Introduction to floriculture
2. Definition of floriculture
3. Historical background
4. Floriculture and nursery stock industry
5. Types of floriculture
6. Cultural techniques
7. Future of floriculture in Pakistan
8. Opportunities in Pakistan for better growth
9. Importance of floriculture
10. World’s largest cut flower exporting countries
11. Problems of floriculture
12. Bibliography
Introduction to floriculture
Horticulture involves traditionally eight professional domains, which
can be grouped into two broad sections, depending on the type of crop
taken into consideration:
•Ornamentals crops: arboriculture, floriculture and landscape
horticulture,
• Edibles crops: olericulture, pomoly, viticulture, oenology and
postharvest physiology.
Environmental horticulture, or Green Industry, involves the production,
distribution and services associated with ornamental plants, landscape
and garden supplies, and related equipment. Segments of the industry
include wholesale nursery, maintenance firms, retail garden centers,
home centers and mass merchandisers with lawn and garden
departments, and marketing intermediaries such as brokers, horticultural
distribution centers, and re-wholesalers (Hall, 2006). This paper focuses
only on the ornamental production, which is also grouped in two broad
sections:
• Floriculture: including the production and marketing of floral crops
like cut flowers, pot plants, bulbs, bedding plants and perennials.
• Nursery Stock: including the production and marketing of individual
trees, shrubs, vines and other perennial hardy plants.
The term Live Plants is often used for Nursery Stock and other plants,
and is therefore not so easy to define in statistics.
Floriculture, or flower farming, is a discipline of horticulture concerned
with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and
for floristry, comprising the floral industry. The development, via plant
breeding, of new varieties is a major occupation of floriculturists.
Floriculture, also known as flower farming is a branch of horticulture
that deals with cultivating ornamental and flowering plants. The flowers
and plants cultivated are meant for sale. These can be used in the
cosmetic industry, the perfume industry and even the pharmaceutical
industry.
Definitions of Terms
▪ Horticulture comes from two Latin words
▪ Hortus (garden plant) and cultura (culture)
▪ Classically defined as the culture or growing of garden plants but as a
Science: - Horticulture is the science and art of cultivating, processing
and marketing of:

✓ Vegetables (Olericulture),

✓ Fruits (Pomology),

✓ Ornamental plants (Floriculture),

✓ Trees and other woody perennials (Arboriculture), and

✓ Stimulants, Spices, Herbs and Medicinal plants

[1] DEFINITION OF FLORICULTURE [Wikipedia]

Floriculture or flower farming is a discipline of horticulture concerned
with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and
for floristry, comprising the floral industry. Floriculture crops include
bedding plants, house plants, flowering garden plants, pot- plants, cut
cultivated greens, and cut flowers.
[2] DEFINITION OF FLORICULTURE [Larson, 1980]
Floriculture is a branch of horticulture that deals with the cultivation of
flowering plants, decorative foliage plants, cacti, orchids, succulents,
bonsai, ferns, plants grown in containers as well as landscape gardening.
In many of the recent literature, Floriculture is referred as Ornamental
Horticulture.
Historical background
Though the cultivation of plants has always been focused on food
production, people have never neglected ornamental plants. Roses were
cultivated about 5,000 years ago in China. Egyptians used the bleu lotus
(Nymphae cerulean), the dwarf palm (Chamaerops humilis) and the
papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) as motives in temples and buildings as early
as 2800 BC. The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) was a symbol of
fertility, the papyrus of revival. The Egyptians are considered the
founders of vegetal pharmacy.
Since the Antiquity temples and pavilions were surrounded by parks or
green areas, and the famous Babylonian gardens were considered one of
the seven world marvels. By 100 BC the Persians adopted the garden
culture, insofar that the origin of the word paradise goes back to the
Persian pairidaeza. Theophrastus, one of the pupils of Aristotle (370 –
285 BC), made the first systematic classification of all known plants and
their medical use, and he is therefore considered the founder of botany.
The botanical work and herbarium “De Materia Medica” by Dioscorides
(first century AD) remained a standard work and a consulting reference
well beyond the sixteenth century. Later on, wealthy Romans created
gardens (hortus) around their house, where they grew flowers for in-
house decoration
. Ancient Islamic civilizations paid much respect to nature as well. The
Koran told to preserve nature, and gardens were considered a religious
place and a paradise on earth. Trees and flowers got religious or
symbolic appeal. The oriental plane – the mighty chenar – offered shade;
fruit trees proved sustenance, and herbs and roots furnished medicines.
Floriculture and nursery stock industry
The increase of the world population over the last decades has involved
a higher demand for horticultural crops, and this has been sustained by
an increased adoption of free market policies and trade agreements,
reducing trade barriers to plant shipments between countries. At the
same time, the global expansion of horticultural products was stimulated
by product improvement and an ever growing demand for luxury goods.
In the past 15-20 years new production centers have been created in
developing countries, enabling to increase local employment and to
enhance national export revenues. These operations are usually
organized by international mass marketers (Hall, 2006). Overall,
worldwide demand for horticultural products is still growing, mainly
following a dominant South-North direction, with the production centers
located in warm-temperate areas and the main niche markets in
industrialized countries. Independently from this international trade,
regional supplies still remain important (Van Uffelen and de Groot,
2005). The International Association of Horticulture Producers (AIPH)
delivers a yearbook ‘International Statistics Flowers and Plants’
(AIPH/Union Fleurs, 2010), the statistics information of which is
discussed in this paper. Due to the shortage of national production
figures and poor reliability of statistical information in general, data
must nevertheless be interpreted with caution. The worldwide
production value of flowers and pot plants is estimated at 26,196 million
euro, covering a total acreage of 702,383 ha and 223,457 holdings.
Worldwide data about nursery stock and the production of bulbs are
usually difficult to find, except for the EU.
 Types of floriculture

 1. Cut Flower.
 2. Potted plants
 3. Bedding plants
 4. Hanging plants
 5. Dried Flower
 6. Landscape plants
Cultural techniques
The primary requirement of commercial floriculture is the
standardization of the product to aim for a remunerative price.
This leads to the combination of crops grown in open fields or in the
greenhouse, with crops grown on artificial substrates, which are now the
norm for pot production, generalized use of phytorgulators , plant
protection products ( insecticides , anti-
mites , nematicides , fungicides , bactericidal ...),
the fertilization by irrigation , the hydroponics , artificial lighting and
computerized control systems the temperature and the humidity .
The multiplication of plants can be done in different ways,
by cuttings , layering , grafting , division
of tubers , rhizomes , stolon’s or bulbs or by sowing
Future of floriculture in Pakistan
Pakistan is an agricultural country, where the agriculture sector
directly adds 21.4% to its GDP, provides 40% employment and 60%
export. Horticulture as a sub-sector participates 11% in the agriculture
sector. Agriculture in Pakistan mainly revolves around the major crops
like wheat, rice, cotton, citrus, mango etc. Horticulture occupies 6% of
arable land of Pakistan, while floriculture occupies only 0.5%. In
Pakistan, the flower business is mainly concentrated around the big
cities like Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, etc. and is also turning towards a
booming business. Therefore, with increasing demand of flowers for
number of utilities, flower business is likely to gain expansion. Pattoki
serve as the center for floriculture activity in Pakistan. Through Kasur
and Sheikhupura districts have also developed some expertise in this
field, still Pattoki serve as the hub market for all floriculture trade.
Pattoki “mandi” is the major forum for buying and selling of fresh cut
flowers especially roses. About one million pieces of cut flowers are
daily exported from Pattoki to different market in Pakistan, more
important of which, are Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, and Islamabad. The
flowers especially roses, gladioli, carnation, day lily etc. are grown for
sale as cut flowers. Because of a large number of foreigners in these
cities, there is a good demand of these commodities. The area under
roses is increases day by day. There is a well establishing market in
these towns and flowers of one kind or other are available throughout
the year. The prices of the flowers of these kinds vary according to the
seasons and their availability. This flowers commodity is on sale for all
over the Pakistan from Peshawar to Karachi from October to February.
Area and production estimates are not available. The flowers have a
sweet and strong flagrance, very much liked by the Pakistan people but
not appreciate by the Europeans.
 With the objectives of knowing the present status and future scope
of floriculture industry in Peshawar, a research project was initiated by
the floriculture section, Department of Horticulture, NWFP Agricultural
University, Peshawar in Hayatabad, Peshawar during 1997- 98. The
results indicate that there is lack of facilities such as availability of
skilled people, provision of short term training, and regular exhibition of
flowers in order to improve the floriculture industry. Results further
showed that majority of nurseries 76.47% were supervised by the
gardeners; most of them 64.71% were uneducated. Most of the people
70.59% preferred foliage plants. Finding further show that large number
of nursery men 82.35% were not willing to establish a greenhouse in
future, majority of the nurseries supervisors 58.82% did not know about
technicality of greenhouse a large number of nurserymen 64.71% would
like to improve their nurseries in future, and large number of
nurserymen 47.06% told that the future of the nursery business is going
to decline because of uneducated supervisors.
According to this study, over the next five years, the Floriculture
market will register a 0.2% CAGR in terms of revenue, the global
market size will reach US$ 48900 million by 2024, from US$ 48200
million in 2019. In particular, this report presents the global market
share (sales and revenue) of key companies in Floriculture business,
shared in Chapter 3.This report presents a comprehensive overview,
market shares, and growth opportunities of Floriculture market by
product type, application, key manufacturers and key regions
and countries
Opportunities in Pakistan for better growth
 Diverse climatic conditions and locations suited for growing
different types of flowers
 Skilled manpower to absorb the technology and implement the
same at a relatively low cost
 Soil and water supply at most locations
 Good radiation/ sunlight leading to healthier plant growth and
better quality flowers
 Good period of sunlight even during the heavy rains leading to
continued plant growth and yield
Importance of floriculture
▪ The role of ornamental plants in the evolution of human civilization
▪ Reaches far beyond food, fiber and medicine
▪ Floriculture enlightens us to communicate with others in peace, love
▪ Provide harmony and balance in our behavior
▪ Ornamental crop culture was earlier considered as a gardener’s
activity 2
▪ Now, Floriculture has become an innovative business with viable
export potential
Role of flowers in human life
1. as nature’s gift
2. as a symbol of grace and elegance
3. as a symbol of beauty, love and peace also to convey feelings
4. Flowers are important features or items in all religious and festive
occasions
5. Importance in perfume and pharmaceutical industries
World’s largest cut flower countries
Problems of floriculture
Potted plants and cut flowers have an almost 80 per cent share of the
world trade in ornamental plant products. In the flower industry,
significant changes are occurring in competitive relationships
worldwide.
A number of traditional markets are displaying signs of saturation and at
the same time new markets are developing in some parts of the world. It
is expected that per capita consumption and production will go up
worldwide. There is a dilemma in obtaining clear insight into the
prospects for the floriculture industry. In almost every country in the
world there is some florist industry but in many countries the available
figures are not accurate.
Pakistan is a country of small farming households where floriculture is
one of the best options for enhancing the income of under privileged.
Introduction of floriculture crops could be an important intervention in
this regard where a farmer can earn much more by exploiting the
available natural resources.
We have favorable climate and cheap labour for growing these crops,
whereas they need much less land and water for production. These crops
also give premium prices almost round the year and there is no need to
wait for a long time as in the case of other routine crops. Net profit
against the investment is much higher from these compared with other
conventional crops. The products are in high demand all over the world.
The marketing issue are the limited airfreight space; lack of
proper cold chain; lack of regional and international cooperation;
patenting, royalties, the WTO laws; and inadequate transport
facilities