A Bengaluru-based engineer has turned his family's farming background into a flower business that generates around Rs 7 lakh in monthly revenue. Lohith Reddy, who runs Lohith Flora in Kommasandra, Karnataka, grows chrysanthemums and supplies them to markets across India.
According to The Better India, Reddy started his floriculture business in 2018 after completing his electronics engineering degree from Vemana Institute of Technology, affiliated with Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), in 2016.
Raised in a farming family, Reddy was familiar with agricultural work from an early age. His interest in commercial flower cultivation grew while helping his cousin manage a flower farm, where he learnt how to grow flowers and sell them in Bengaluru's markets.
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He initially focused on gerberas, setting up a polyhouse and buying 12,000 plants from a nursery in Pune. The venture generated around Rs 1.5 lakh a month, with sales of 40,000 to 50,000 flowers.
How chrysanthemums became his main business
After establishing his business with gerberas, Reddy shifted his focus to chrysanthemums, seeing an opportunity to expand in the market. He eventually dedicated 2.5 acres to growing the flowers.
Cultivating chrysanthemums required trial and error. The flowers are sensitive to light exposure, making it important to regulate growing conditions to manage their flowering cycles. Reddy also tested different varieties, including white and pink Santini, yellow Santini and red Calimero, to find those suited to local conditions.
According to The Better India, Lohith Flora now produces around 1,500 bunches of chrysanthemums every week and earns approximately Rs 7 lakh in monthly revenue. Operating expenses, including labour, irrigation and farm maintenance, range from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh a month, the report said.
Supplying flowers across India
Reddy's business now supplies flowers beyond Bengaluru, reaching buyers in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Guwahati.
Its customers include wholesalers, florists and event managers, giving the farm access to multiple segments of the flower market. What began with gerbera cultivation has since grown into a business focused on supplying chrysanthemums to buyers across the country.
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