HortiConnect India 2025, organized at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, was a place where India's horticulture and floriculture community converged to shape the future of the industry.
Over three action-packed days, the event welcomed close to 20,000 visitors, including growers, breeders, exporters, government officials, designers, and international delegates. From insightful panel discussions and dazzling floral showcases to meaningful collaborations and business networking, HortiConnect India firmly positioned itself as a catalyst for India's floriculture ambitions.
Nishant Mehta and Vaibhav Sharma from Thursd. Team India were on the ground across all three days, connecting with industry leaders, attending panels, and capturing the pulse of the event. Here's a closer look at the highlights.
A Grand Opening and Global Floral Inspiration on Day 1
The event kicked off with an inauguration ceremony that set the tone for the days ahead. One of the standout moments was a floral wedding design presentation by Cristina Lopez, Designer and Marketing Manager at Ball SB Cut Flowers, Colombia, which brought a touch of international floral artistry to the stage.
From brief but meaningful conversations with Bollapally ji to engaging with exhibitors from around the world, the first day set the foundation for dynamic exchanges. Strong participation from government organizations reflected a shared commitment to strengthen India's farming roots and position the country as a future leader in global floriculture.
On being asked about the turnout, Mr. Shrikant Bollapally expressed his excitement and optimism:
"The response has been amazing - AS EXPECTED! Next year, we plan to go three times what we have done here, bigger venue ground, more visitors, more brands, growers, and even more - more commerce. Our farmers need that lift to overcome the challenges and I am sure this event is going to benchmark the first of its success with it. Rest I assure you, it will be thrice as large it is now the next year!"
The buzz from the very beginning of the exhibition was very well summed up by Ms. Rashmi Attavar:
"It has been completely busy ever since the moment the event started!"
Opportunities and Insights from Day 2
The second day began with a discussion on how the floriculture industry can help unlock the potential of global market opportunities with a variety of experts from both individual and governmental organizations, including Dr. M. Jawaharlal (Dean, CAS SRM University), Mr. Manjunath (Founder, AIMKarts FPO), Dr. Prasanna Kumar Desai (International landscape expert), and more.
Immediately after, Mr. Piet Koopman (Gediflora, Belgium) delivered a presentation on garden mums, highlighting their international appeal and potential for Indian growers. The day's panel sessions brought together heavyweights like Dr. S.K. Pattnayak, Mrs. Radha Singh, and Dr. Ayyengar (all IAS, Retd.), offering invaluable insights into three decades of horticulture policy, growth, and industry-building that the government supported, the majority of which they had personally spearheaded at different levels.
Mr. Srikant Kanoi led a lively discussion alongside Mr. Rownak Gutgutia, Mr. Srikant Bollapally, Mr. Dhruva Kumar, and Mrs. Sushma Venkatesh, delving into the world of weddings, floral decor, and evolving business trends. On the exhibition floor, companies like KF Bio Plants Pvt. Ltd., Indam Seeds, and numerous growers engaged in promising conversations. Mr. Lalit Avhad of Rise N Shine Biotech captured the essence of such gatherings in his words:
"Events like these is where we actually connect with the lifeline of our industry - the growers and farmers. This has enabled us to now reach a production of 40 million ornamental plant units annually."
Darjeeling Gardens Pvt. Ltd., represented by Litton Sutradhar, emphasized the unique networking value of the expo:
"It's in events like these where the real networking takes place, but talking of HortiConnect India 2025, it has been more than that. The ease of connecting with the governmental organizations for support makes HortiConnect India 2025 even more important for businesses like us!"
The day closed with a floral design presentation by Ms. Madhu Shobha (Director Bangalore Floristry Association and Hon'r. Secretary at Sogetsu School of Ikebana) and Mr. M. Kalidas Raj - a display that blended art of floral design with the existing Indian trends in the most perfect sense.
Technology, Innovation, and Strategic Collaborations on Day 3
The final day spotlighted innovation and technology. A compelling panel discussion on Smart Farming with AI and IoT featured experts like Dr. Chandrashekhar, M. Biradar, Dr. Sheik Meera, Dr. Narasimha Nakshatra, Mr. Venkat Pindipolu, Mr. Siddharth Sachdev, Dr. M.B. Patil, and Mr. Dileep George.
Their discussion underscored the critical role of data, automation, and smart systems in driving productivity and sustainability for the future of Indian horticulture.
Presentations followed from Mr. Hidde Huisintveld (Lumiforte) and Dr. Sudesh Kumar Yadav (Director, CSIR-IHBT, Palampur). A significant moment came when MoUs were signed between CSIR-IHBT and Florance Flora, and CSIR-IHBT and Darjeeling Gardens, signaling strengthened collaboration between research institutions and private industry.
Input from Mr. Narendra Patil from SoexFlora gave a better look into innovation, market access, and certain challenges. K.S.G.'s Farm & Nursery's Mr. Shashank shared candidly about the complexities of expanding into new markets:
"Exporting is a challenge. While we are able to easily do it for certain varieties of in USA and Thailand, there are still a lot of constraints with the media and other such export restrictions that make it quite difficult to capitalize on opportunities to transact with major LATAM regions like Brazil."
HortiConnnect India 2025 Setting the Stage for the Future
The three days at HortiCulture India 2025 made one thing abundantly clear: India's floriculture and horticulture industry is thriving, ambitious, and increasingly global in its outlook.
From thousands of visitors to landmark collaborations, international dialogues, and a strong government-industry presence, this year's edition wasn't just about showcasing flowers - it was about building ecosystems, exchanging knowledge, and sowing the seeds for future growth.
For Thursd, being present on the ground was a natural extension of our mission to spotlight the floral world in its most authentic form. Expect to see many more in-depth stories, interviews, and collaborations from India's horticulture sector on Thursd.com.
