Coimbatore Consumers Spend The Highest On Garden Products

India’s first and national one-stop gardening solutions provider has sought industry status and reduction in the phenomenally high customs and state levies on gardening products. On one hand the Central and State governments are supposed to be encouraging agriculture, nature conservation and flora/ fauna preservation but their policies seem to be completely contrary. The customs duty on all gardening items imported into India is 36% while Value Added Tax (VAT) for these products (including soil, sand and stone) is 12.5%. This is very for a small scale business that is still in its infancy but growing rapidly in triple digits since the last 3 years.

Myna Batavia, Chief Consulting Director, Green Carpet (The Garden Centre headquartered in Bangalore), says, “Finance Minister P. Chidambaram should consider our plight and reduce the abnormally high duties. The Central and State governments should also provide support in terms of easily affordable and available cultivation land for gardening solutions providers as well as facilitate supply of water and labour.” As a complete brand in itself Green Carpet, is the sole distributor of Lechuza and Scheurich. Lechuza and Scheurich are both revolutionary German brands of pots which are made available in India only through Green Carpet.

Mumbai-based gardening materials provider, Umang Jatin Desai, Upaj Enterprises, adds, “Indian mindsets are changing. Ten per cent of the upper middle-class and elite can afford to spend on creating gardens but 3 per cent is really passionate about it. And consumers can spend anything from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 1 lakh on gardens. There are instant gardens available from Rs. 2,000 onwards. People prefer fruit and native trees or orchids imported from the Far East or from Kerala and Coorg.”

Surprisingly, a study shows that Coimbatore consumers spend the highest on garden products compared to Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore (in that order). However, people in the metros can show a greater propensity to spend much more if they catch on to the concept. And corporate entities can spend much more. Batavia boasts of having catered to clients such as GMR airports (Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad), Bajaj Auto Ltd., K. Raheja Group, Hyatt Hotel Group, Titan Industries and other software companies amongst others.

“We are getting a good response even on our website http://www.greencarpetgardencentre.com/. In fact, we have established a national presence through our pan-India dealer and franchisee network in 9 cities. We also encourage local artisans and indigenous planters. Green Carpet is committed to make the dream of a green and clean environment a reality.”

Customer Shipra Sharma says, “Earlier, there used to be very little awareness and a lot of misconceptions. For e.g., in India consumers mistake most Terracota products with glazed effect to be ceramic and end up paying higher. Real ceramic products of world leaders such as Lichuza are light-weight and thin. The Kerala Board offers coir fibre gardening products at a much higher cost even when imports cost less. Green Carpet offers a complete gardening solution and good counsel. It offers all the garden components like tools, garden accessories, garden furniture, garden clothes, Pots and planters, pesticides and fertilizers. It also offers important services such as Garden Maintenance, Design and Plant Clinic.”

Batavia, who has grown her business from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 3 crore in less than 2 years, says that several local players are entering the fray. And she welcomes competition. Experts believe that the government should also offer sops for manufacturing of quality gardening products in India rather than letting the players import products. There are several skilled artisans in India and they can play a crucial role. The domestic green revolution can also lead to jobs and enterprise. And India can capture a slice of the global market opportunity.

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