It is raining roses at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) here.
Recording a nearly two-fold increase in rose shipments in the run-up to Valentine's Day this year, the airport facilitated the movement of about 5.15 lakh kg of roses to 25 international and domestic destinations. The total rose shipments in 2021 were 2.7 lakh kg.
Domestic shipments this season increased to 3.15 lakh kg (nearly 6.5 million stems) compared to 1.03 lakh kg in 2021, recording an over 200% growth. Around 2 lakh kg (about 7.3 million stems) were exported to international destinations this year compared to last year’s 1.7 lakh kg.
"Bengaluru is the biggest exporter of roses in India. Our cargo infrastructure, powered by technology, provides rapid distribution of perishable cargo, making KIA the preferred cargo airport in South India," said Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy and Development Officer at Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL).
The top domestic destinations for roses include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Guwahati and Chandigarh. Among the top international destinations are Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, London, Amsterdam, Kuwait, Auckland, Beirut, Manila, Muscat and Dubai.
In the 2020-21 financial year, the KIA, with a cold-chain handling capacity of 60,000 metric tonnes, had emerged as the top airport in the country for perishable shipments, processing 48,130 metric tonnes of perishables. The airport accounted for 31% of India's total perishable shipments, and according to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) data for the 2020-21 financial year, the KIA was the No. 1 airport for flower exports in India, BIAL said.
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