Economic analysis of cultivation and value-added products of major flowers in Ambikapur region

Introduction

Chhattisgarh, which was purposively selected out of 33 districts for its prominence in flower cultivation and marketing activities. From this area, a total of 80 flower growers and 15 retailers were selected as respondents, along with enterprises engaged in value-added products such as Pancham-deep Agarbatti, Radhe-Krishna SHG (Surguja Gulal), and Manbhavan Organic. Stakeholders involved in floral waste management practices were also included to provide comprehensive insights into the value chain of floriculture. Both primary and secondary data were utilized to achieve the study objectives. Primary data were collected directly from flower growers, wholesalers, and retailers using a wellstructured questionnaire and interview schedule (Appendix A). Secondary data were obtained from official government websites, published research papers, and reports of the district horticulture department to supplement field-level findings. The period of enquiry was confined to the agricultural year 2024-25, ensuring the data captured reflected recent trends in costs, returns, and value addition practices. For analysis, simple averages and percentage methods were employed to process and interpret the data, providing clear estimates of the cost of cultivation, marketing patterns, and the economic potential of value-added products in the Ambikapur region.

Results & Discussions 4.1 General characteristics of selected flower growers

The study of flower growers in Ambikapur revealed that most respondents were middle-aged with primary or secondary education, while few were graduates. Families were generally medium in size, with agriculture as the main occupation. Landholdings were small to medium, averaging one to three hectares, and a portion was allocated to flower cultivation. Irrigation facilities were available to most farmers, though some relied on rainfall. On average, growers had five to ten years of experience in floriculture, supplemented by income from cereals, vegetables, and livestock. Flowers were primarily marketed in Ambikapur, with a few progressive farmers selling in nearby towns for higher returns. Only a small proportion were associated with farmer groups, while most lived in semi-pucca houses and owned basic assets like mobile phones and motorbikes.

Cost of Cultivation -Rose (Cut Flower) per hectare

The cost of cultivation of rose (cut flower) was estimated at ₹2,23,800 per hectare (Table: 1), which included expenses on land preparation, planting material (10,000-12,000 grafted plants), fertilizers, pesticides, labor, irrigation (mainly drip), support structures, packaging, and transportation. Rose is a perennial crop with a productive life of 3-4 years, generating an average annual yield of about 1,70,000 flowers.

Detailed Cost of Cultivation -Marigold (per hectare)

The cost of cultivation of marigold was estimated at ₹89,100 per hectare (Table 3 ), covering land preparation, 1.5 kg of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, labor, irrigation (mainly drip), support materials, packaging, and transportation. Marigold is a perennial crop with a productive life of 3-4 years. Marigold cultivation offers a short-term, profitable opportunity, with a crop duration of 4 months and an annual yield of 10 tons. At an average market price of ₹20/kg, the gross income is ₹2,00,000, with a net profit of ₹1,10,900 per hectare. The cost-benefit ratio of 1:1.2 indicates that every ₹1 invested returns ₹1.20, making marigold cultivation an economically attractive and low-risk option for quick returns.

Chrysanthemum Flower -Cost of Cultivation per Hectare (Open Field)

The cost of cultivation of chrysanthemum was estimated at ₹73,500 per hectare (Table 5), including land preparation, 50,000 cuttings as planting material, fertilizers, pesticides, labor, irrigation (mainly drip), support materials, packaging, and transportation. Chrysanthemum is a perennial crop with a productive life of 3-4 years.

Economics of Bouquets

The economics of bouquets (Table 7) revealed that largesized bouquets were the most profitable, highlighting the higher potential of value-added floral products over loose flowers. The total cost of producing small, medium, and large bouquets was ₹73.97, ₹245.94, and ₹1,504.94, respectively, while net returns were ₹73.97, ₹245.94, and ₹506.06. The cost-benefit ratios were 1:1.32, 1:1.59, and 1:2.97, indicating that larger bouquets offer significantly higher profitability.

Economics of Baskets Flower (small baskets):

Economics of Baskets is presented in the table.4.8. It was found that the Small size baskets was the most profitable value addition of flower was more potential than loose and cut flowers. On making of baskets, the total cost incurred on small, size of baskets was found to be Rs. 419.50 Net return from Baskets was Rs 281 and C:B ratio is 1:1.67 respectively. The cost-benefit analysis of small garland production (Table 9) shows a total variable cost of ₹34.05 per garland, with raw materials accounting for ₹26.00 (76.47%), miscellaneous charges ₹4.76 (14.00%), and labor ₹3.29 (9.66%). The gross return is ₹50.00, yielding a net profit of ₹15.76 per unit, with a cost-benefit ratio of 1:2.17, indicating that garland production is economically viable and profitable. The production of large garlands (Table 10) is materialintensive, with raw materials accounting for ₹40.00 (83.33%) of the total cost, labor at ₹3.43 (1.66%), and miscellaneous expenses ₹5.00 (10.00%). The total variable cost per garland is ₹48.43, generating a gross return of ₹110.00 and a net profit of ₹60.40. The cost-benefit ratio of 1:1.23 indicates that large garland production is profitable, sustainable, and economically viable.

Economics of Marigold garland

Economics of Car decoration:

The economics of car decoration (Table 11) shows that three packages are offered by wholesalers, with the large-sized package being the most profitable, surpassing bouquets and garlands. The total variable cost of preparation is ₹728, mainly driven by labor (27.48%), roses (21.98%), and small bouquets (18.41%), along with fancy cloth (15.12%), velvet/artificial flowers (8.24%), other flowers like chrysanthemum and gladiolus (4.80%), and miscellaneous items (3.98%). The gross return is ₹1,710, yielding a net profit of ₹982. The cost-benefit ratio of 1:1.35 confirms economic viability, though profitability remains comparatively lower than other valueadded floral products. The preparation of bouquets using fresh and artificial flowers (Table 11) incurs a total variable cost of ₹728, with the largest shares from labor (27.48%), roses (21.98%), and small bouquets (18.41%), followed by fancy cloth (15.12%), velvet/artificial flowers (8.24%), other flowers (4.80%), and miscellaneous items (3.98%). The activity generates a gross return of ₹1,710, netting ₹982, with a cost-benefit ratio of 1:1.35, indicating economic viability, though with slightly lower profitability compared to other value-added floral products. The medium-sized car decoration package (Table 12) has a total variable cost of ₹1,234, with the largest shares from bouquet units (24.32%) and labor (24.32%), followed by roses (20.46%), fancy cloth (11.14%), velvet/artificial flowers (8.50%), and other flowers like chrysanthemum and gladiolus (8.10%), while miscellaneous items account for 3.16%. The activity generates a gross return of ₹3,495 and a net profit of ₹2,261, with a cost-benefit ratio of 1:1.83, indicating higher profitability than smaller bouquet preparations. The large bouquet preparation (Table 13) incurs a total variable cost of ₹2,140, with major expenses from roses (33.64%), bouquet units (22.43%), and labor (18.70%), followed by other flowers like chrysanthemum and gladiolus (14.02%), fancy cloth (7.72%), velvet/artificial flowers (1.63%), and miscellaneous items (1.86%). The activity generates a gross return of ₹6,875 and a net profit of ₹4,735, with a cost-benefit ratio of 1:2.21, indicating high profitability and making it more rewarding than smaller bouquet preparations.

Economics of value added floral waste products: While value addition in floriculture typically focuses on converting fresh flowers into marketable products, less attention has been given to utilizing floral waste. However, some enterprises in Chhattisgarh, such as Ganesh Global Pvt. Ltd., have begun transforming floral waste into valuable products like Gulal, incense sticks, and cow dung cakes, which are marketed across different states and even abroad. The production of value-added floral waste products (Table 14) incurred a total variable cost of ₹6,165 per quintal (₹61.65 per kg), with major expenses on labour (32.44%) and premix powder (29.19%), followed by dry waste flowers (20.44%). Smaller costs included liquid colour (8.92%), scent (3.24%), miscellaneous charges (4.87%), and packaging (0.90%). The gross return was ₹32,000 per quintal (₹320 per kg), yielding a net return of ₹25,835 per quintal (₹258.35 per kg). The cost-benefit ratio of 1:4.19 indicates high profitability and strong economic viability. Table 16 presents the cost and return structure for producing a value-added floral waste product, cow dung cake. The total variable cost is ₹1,735 per quintal (₹17.35 per kg), with major expenses on labour (32.28%), dry waste flowers (30.25%), and cow dung (25.94%), while plastic packaging accounts for 11.53%. The gross return is ₹5,000 per quintal (₹50 per kg), resulting in a net return of ₹3,265 per quintal (₹32.65 per kg). The cost-benefit ratio of 1:1.88 indicates that for every rupee invested, the return is ₹1.88, highlighting the profitability and economic viability of this enterprise.

Conclusion

The study of flower cultivation and value-added products in Ambikapur demonstrates that floriculture is both economically viable and profitable for small and medium farmers. Among flowers, rose cultivation offers moderate but stable returns over multiple seasons, while shortduration crops like marigold and chrysanthemum provide quick and low-risk profits. Value addition through bouquets, garlands, baskets, and car decorations significantly enhances profitability, with large-sized products yielding the highest returns and cost-benefit ratios. Moreover, the utilization of floral waste into products like Gulal, incense sticks, and cow dung cakes has emerged as a highly profitable and sustainable enterprise, with Gulal showing the highest return (C:B ratio 1:4.19). Overall, integrating flower cultivation with value-added product creation and floral waste management provides farmers with diversified income sources, enhances resource efficiency, and strengthens the economic sustainability of floriculture in the periphery of Ambikapur.

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