BENGALURU: If exotic flowers like orchids, carnations and gerberas brighten up your day, businessman A S Patil could have a role to play in it. Known for his massive plantations, which are spread across 20-25 acres, he cultivates different kinds of flowers.
Hailing from a family of agriculturists, Patil, who originally hails from Vijayapura, always had a keen interest in cultivation. So in 1998, while he was studying engineering in Bengaluru, he decided to take a leap of faith and get into the flower business.
What started as a hobby has now turned into a successful venture with Patil busy with the import and export of flowers. “I started with just two acres of land. Later on, as the business started picking up, I started expanding my farmland. Today, I have a farmhouse spread across 25 acres,” says Patil, who has an exclusive flower boutique in Richmond Town called Crazyflora. “I don’t just supply these flowers across India, but also export to the Middle East, Thailand, China and The Netherlands. We also import flowers that are not available in India,” says Patil.
He grows these foreign flowers in a polyhouse under controlled conditions. “Four months prior to us actually planting flowers, carnations, roses or gerberas, work starts. Growing some of these plants takes years,” says Patil, whose farm is located in Doddaballapur.
Across the globe, Patil believes that the business of flowers is flourishing, however, the pandemic was a huge hit to businesses. “After Covid, the market has been really down and continues to be. About 50 per cent of the flower businesses have come down. People have switched to artificial flowers, which are cost-effective. But honestly, nothing like real flowers,” explains Patil.