Flower auction centre opened

Flower auction centre opened

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: About two lakh flowers went under the hammer at the new building of the international flower auction centre at Hebbal, which was formally opened on Wednesday. Anthuriums, Orchids, Gerberas, Birds of Paradise and Roses were among the many kinds of flowers auctioned for over Rs. 4 lakh. Modelled on the flower auction centre in The Netherlands, the flower centre is the only one in the country. The new auction building has additional facilities such as cold storage and packing equipment for buyers and growers.

“With the opening of the centre, we hope to market Bangalore as an international hub for floriculture,” said Sudhakar Rao, Additional Chief Secretary, at a press conference after the inauguration. Claiming this to be a first major step towards boosting floriculture in the State, Mr. Rao said that more incentives and sops would follow.

“Floriculture is highly labour-intensive and provides employment to many women. We want to promote this as a alternative source of employment in urban areas and wealth creation in rural areas,” he said.