NEW DELHI: For the first time ever, Geographical Indications (GI) certified Madurai jasmine and other traditional flowers such as button rose, lily, chamanthi, and marigold were exported to the US and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Tamil Nadu on Thursday. This will fulfil the Indian diaspora's need for fresh flowers for deities at home and temples. Professors from the floriculture department of Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore, helped the exporters with packaging technology to increase the shelf life of the flowers. In FY21, fresh cut jasmine flowers and bouquets, comprising jasmine and other traditional flowers, valued at Rs66.28 crore were exported to countries such as the US, UAE, Singapore, among others. Of which, Rs11.84 crore worth of flowers were sourced from Tamil Nadu and shipped from major airports of Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai.

Source: Mint July 08, 2021 11:03 UTC