Valentine's Day - for love and flowers from Himachal

Shimla: With Valentine's Day only a day away, the floriculture business in Himachal Pradesh is blooming. Trade representatives in the state say the demand for roses and carnations has spiralled by over 50 percent in most north Indian cities.

"The demand for roses, carnations and tulips from the state is quite good round the year. But just ahead of Valentine's Day, there is a sharp spike in demand for cut-flowers," said Vinay Bali, a farmer in Rajgarh in Sirmaur district. Valentine's Day, is the day to say it with flowers for lovers all over. It's also the day that spells big business for florists and farmers.

According to Bali, most farmers have dispatched flowers to Chandigarh and Delhi, the main flower markets. Farmers in the hill state are growing commercial varieties of marigold, carnation, tulip, lilium, gladiolus, chrysanthemum and rose. Approximately 860 hectares of land is under flower cultivation and over 3,000 farmers are involved in it.

Many pockets in Solan, Shimla, Sirmaur, Mandi, Kullu, Bilaspur and Chamba districts have made a name for themselves in the flower business.