Current context: Mizoram exported its first consignment of Anthurium flowers to Singapore, boosting agro-based exports from the Northeast.

About Anthurium:

• Native Range: America(Mexico to Argentina, including the Caribbean).
• India Cultivation: Widely grown in Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Features:

• Herbaceous plant, epiphytic or terrestrial, with spadix and colorful spathe (red, pink, orange).
• Contains calcium oxalate crystals; sap is skin/eye irritant.

Economic & Cultural Significance:

• Exports: Part of India’s floriculture exports worth USD 86.62 million (FY 2023-24).
• Importing Countries: USA, Netherlands, UAE, UK, Canada.
• Mizoram’s Anthurium Festival: Promotes tourism and local enterprise.
• Livelihood Impact: Supports rural income, especially for women farmers in the Northeast.