Kolkata: This Valentine's Day India has emerged the second largest supplier of fresh cut flowers in the world, a study by e-commerce portal Alibaba.com said.
With 18 per cent of the total buyer enquiries going to Indian SMEs (small and medium enterprises), India features as the second largest seller of flowers after Thailand, according to site analytics data from Alibaba.com.
Based on the inquiries received by Indian suppliers on the world's largest B2B site in the last few months, the US and Syrian Arab Republic emerged as the largest market for Indian florists, accounting for 15 per cent and 13 per cent of search inquiries, respectively.
Other popular markets for Indian sellers of fresh cut flowers include Malaysia, Russian Federation, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Italy and Turkey.
A recent study by industry body ASSOCHAM estimated that India's floriculture industry is growing at a compounded annual rate (CAGR) of about 30 per cent and is likely to cross the Rs 8,000 crore mark by 2015.
"We believe that Indian suppliers have been able to successfully tap the trade potential of unconventional markets, leveraging the global demand for fresh cut flowers before Valentine's Day," Nayan Thakkar, Sales & Services Operations Manager, Alibaba.com told PTI.
When asked the reason for Indian florists becoming a hot favourite this season on the online marketplace, he cited price-competitiveness of Indian flowers.
"The fall in the value of Indian rupee against major currencies has further made India a viable and preferred destination for exporters the world over to source fresh cut flowers," he said.
Moreover, Indian suppliers are increasingly turning online to shorten sourcing cycles and reduce selling costs, thereby improving their global standing on price competitiveness, Thakkar said.
More than 2.4 million Indian SMEs are registered on Alibaba.com to facilitate international trade via the web.
Colour of flowers is an important parameter for buyers.
"Valentine's Day being the day of celebrating love, red roses are primarily demanded by overseas markets. Besides rose, gerbera and other fresh cut flowers are also in demand," he said.
Indians were also found to be the second largest buyers of lingerie products in the run up to the Valentine's Day.
Product keywords such as 'baby dolls' and 'sexy underwear' have received 18 per cent and 13 per cent buyer enquiries from India, respectively, this January and February, the report said.
Indian businesses source majority of their baby doll and sexy underwear products from China.
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