Bengaluru,  Enhancing its reputation as the airport of choice for perishables in India, the Bengaluru International Airport witnessed a near two-fold increase in rose shipments in the run-up to Valentine's Day this year amid the Covid crisis.

Spreading the fragrance of roses across the globe, the Bengaluru airport facilitated the movement of approximately 5.15 lakh kg of roses to 25 international and domestic destinations as against 2.7 lakh kg shipped in 2021, the Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) said in an official statement.

The demand for roses during the Valentine season in the domestic market has seen a considerable rise this year. Domestic shipments witnessed a significant improvement, increasing to 3.15 lakh kg (6.5 million stems) as against 1.03 lakh kg in 2021, recording over 200 per cent growth.

Around 2 lakh kg (7.3 million stems) were exported to international destinations this year as against last year's 1.7 lakh kg.

"Bengaluru is the biggest exporter of roses in India. At the Bengaluru airport, we take pride in becoming a channel to aid the local community, growers and shippers by facilitating shipment of their produce while maintaining freshness.

"Our cargo infrastructure, powered by technology, provides rapid distribution of perishable cargo, making it the preferred cargo airport in south India. We will continue to work with our cargo partners to introduce new initiatives and facilities that cater to the constantly evolving demand," said Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy and Development Officer, 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 FY 2020-21, the Bengaluru airport with a cold-chain handling capacity of 60,000 metric tonnes emerged as the top airport in the country for perishable shipments, processing 48,130 metric tonnes of perishables.

The airport accounted for 31 per cent of India's total perishable shipments, and according to data released by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) for FY 2020-21, the Bengaluru airport ranked No. 1 for flower exports in India.