From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Feb 14: As the entire world celebrated Valentine’s Day, Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport Ltd (KGIAL) added a flowery touch by exporting 5.2 million rose stems to 36 destinations in 25 countries between February 1 and 14.

Export of roses from KGIAL has grown at a fast clip, says an official press release.

Countries to which roses were exported include Malaysia, Kuwait, Singapore, Japan, USA, Lebanon, South Korea, Australia, UAE, UK, Qatar, Jordan, Denmark, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Oman, France, Indonesia, Belgium, Bahrain, Netherlands, New Zealand, Azerbaijan and Greece. 

This is in comparison to 293 tonnes in the form of 4.7 Million rose stems which were exported in the same period in February last year to 19 destinations in 15 countries, the press release said.

“This year, we have witnessed a huge jump in the number of destinations to which roses have been exported,’’ Hari Marar, MD & CEO, KGIAL said.

He said the number of countries is also substantially higher this year.’

“While the sharp increase in rose exports and the demand for rose stems from Bengaluru has much to do with the quality of roses grown in the region. We believe that the increase in destinations is also due to our consistent focus on efficient handling and our efforts towards establishing the Airport as the singluar gateway for cargo traffic. We currently have seven dedicated freighter aircraft bays and facilities to handle a wide range of goods, including rose stems,” he said.

Malaysia, Kuwait and Singapore were among the top three countries to which roses were exported. 

While 52,459 kgs of roses were exported to Malaysia, Kuwait and Singapore accounted for 39,341 and 31,615 kgs respectively, he added.