BANGALORE: There is much breast-beating over how today's techies have no time for romance. So it is all the more ironic that Bangalore, the technology capital, is on the forefront helping spread romance through flowers not just in the country but also abroad.

Considering that red is the colour of Valentines, the city, or rather its outskirts, is the centre for the cultivation of Dutch roses. Some 90 per cent of these flaming beauties are red, while the remaining is shared by orange, yellow and pink.

Dutch roses are so named because they are originally from Holland. Today they are grown in and around Bangalore in Doddaballapur, Hosur and Bagalur near Sarjapur.

Surprisingly, Bangalore beats Pune (which cultivates 250 acres) by dedicating 500 acres of land for rose cultivation.

"That's because Bangalore's weather is conducive to grow these roses," says Rajendra Kumar, a wholesale dealer in the business of Dutch flowers.

According to flower traders, the trend of gifting flowers started around 1994 when there were barely five farms that produced 40,000 to 50,000 flowers. The trend really caught on in 1997-98 and now the domestic market requirement is six lakh.

Appropriately, the production of these flowers peaks in February, the Valentine's month. "The flowers are sent to cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata apart from southern cities. This is besides shipments to Singapore, West Asia and European countries."

At wholesale rates, Dutch roses are priced at Rs. 5.50 per stem. By the time they reach the retail market, prices can quadruple. Typically, the long-stemmed variety, measuring between 40 and 90 cm are snapped up first.

According to a spokesperson in Floral Designs, a florist on Vittal Mallya Road, "the 80 to 90 cm stem with a rosebud is most sought-after. In fact, the flower industry may actually run short of flowers this season as the sales are expected to reach 18 lakh by D-Day."

Whether you gift your Valentine a diamond pendant or a silk tie or just some music to go with the mood, it goes without saying that the gesture is incomplete without red roses.

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