Commercial Floriculture in Kerala, India: Major Cut Flowers, Production, Marketing and Business Prospects

Abstract

Commercial floriculture in Kerala must reconcile the biological suitability of tropical ornamentals with the exacting requirements of a perishable, quality-differentiated market. This critical narrative review examines the principal cut-flower groups relevant to the state, their production systems, postharvest constraints, marketing arrangements and business prospects. Scholarly and institutional evidence published from 2000 to 22 July 2026 was selected through targeted live searches, reference tracing and bibliographic verification. Kerala-specific experiments and enterprise studies were distinguished from international physiological research, market surveys and policy documents. Anthurium, tropical orchids and heliconia have the clearest local research foundations, whereas commercial opportunities for rose, gerbera, carnation and other cut flowers require more explicit matching of cultivar, microclimate, infrastructure and buyer specifications. Evidence from coconut-based heliconia systems supports selective diversification, but does not establish universal intercrop profitability. Historical anthurium budgets indicate commercial feasibility under particular conditions rather than contemporary investment returns. Across crops, vegetative growth, harvested flower numbers and laboratory vase life are inadequate substitutes for accepted stems, reliable delivery and realised margins. The main constraints are therefore interconnected: planting-material quality, disease prevention, climate management, grading, crop-compatible temperature control, aggregation, demand uncertainty and working capital. National floriculture exports and state development allocations provide context but cannot quantify Kerala's cut-flower production or export competitiveness. The most defensible near-term pathway is phased, buyer-linked development, supported by cultivar-specific production protocols, shared services with transparent governance, and records that connect farm practices to customer outcomes. Priorities include a species-resolved enterprise baseline, multi-location trials incorporating full costs, commercial-chain postharvest validation and prospective evaluation of cluster programmes. Kerala has credible opportunities in differentiated tropical flowers and associated services, but sustainable expansion depends on demonstrating dependable saleable quality rather than assuming that climatic suitability or promotional support guarantees business success.