Pune to set up state-of-the-art flower mart
The mall mania has caught the fancy of Pune’s Agriculture Produce Marketing Produce Committee (APMC). It will set up a Rs 32 crore flower mall, where the wholesale and retail trade will be located.
By TNN |
PUNE: The mall mania has caught the fancy of Pune’s Agriculture Produce Marketing Produce Committee (APMC). It will set up a Rs 32 crore flower mall, where the wholesale and retail trade will be located. The move has been driven by visits to the Aalsmeer flower market in Holland.
“We have received clearances from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to set up a flower market, on the lines of the Aalsmeer market of Holland.
However, we are keeping in mind Indian conditions and requirements and this Rs 32-crore worth project, spread over a three-and-a-half acre plot will house an auction house, grading and packing facilities.
In addition, it will also have 300 retail shops, exhibition centres, an auditorium, special facilities for exporters and cold stores where farmers can store flowers till they want to bring them on the market,” BJ Deshmukh, administrator, APMC, told reporters.
He added that work on the flower mall will begin by December and is expected to be completed in a year’s time. Since this is an infrastructure project, it will get a 30% subsidy from the Centre.
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The APMC move is an attempt also to upstage the MIDC’s proposed market at the Aarey colony in Mumbai, which has not yet got off the ground. Mr Deshmukh admitted that they wanted this mall to be ready before the MIDC facility, which would otherwise divert the city’s floriculture output.Pune flower market is currently housed in a godown, where 170 traders operate with a waiting list of another 170 traders.
The flower mall will allow galas for 300 traders and another 45 galas on a floor dedicated for exporters. The Pune region has about 45 poly houses set up private companies which are targeted primarily at the export market.
In addition, there are over 1,000 farmers with smaller polyhouses, spread over 5-10,000 sq ft who cater mainly to the domestic market. Mr Deshmukh said that the Rs 23 crore worth cut flower market in Pune has been growing at a 25% per annum for the past few years.
“If all the traders who have expressed their desire to enter the flower trade come into the flower mall, then the Pune flower market should be worth Rs 70 crore,” he said. He pointed to the Aalsmeer market, spread over 170 acres and a turnover of e30,000 crore.
Unlike the Holland example, though, the growing of flowers will be done at the farmer’s site and only the auction, grading, packing and despatching either to the airport, the retail market or to the cold stores in the basement will be done here.
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