Thailand eyes orchid trade in India

Floriculture is one area Thailand corporates are eying in India now. During Thailand prime minister Surayud Chulanot's visit to India, a business delegation accompanying the PM expressed the desire to pursue floriculture in India.

Mainly, the Thai delegation wanted India to grow a special variety of orchids called Dendrobium in large numbers for exports.

Chulanot led the business delegation ahead of the renewal of India-Thai free trade agreement by September this year after the expiry of the three-year Early Harvest Scheme covering 82 products.

Indo-Thai trade in 2006 rose to around $3.4 billion and in the first four months of the current calendar year it recorded $1.3

billion. As the trade balance is in favour of Thailand, it wants more items to be included under FTA.

In the last few months Thailand explored the possibilities of growing Dendrobium in northeastern India. Thai corporates are looking for right partners who can grow it and they are ready to supply planting materials. The Indian growers can sell the flowers in India or sell it to Thailand and they can export it in the global market.

India grows a different variety of orchid called Cymbidium and according to Thais, Dendrobium has a great demand in global market.