Hosur, Feb. 5: Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal. Hosur is doing it, too — with roses shaped like the monument to love.

This Valentine’s Day, lovers across Europe, Australia, Japan and Saudi Arabia will be exchanging Taj Mahals — one million of them to be exact. Only, these Taj Mahals sport long green stems, bulbous tops and a hint of fragrance.

The flowers happen to be a special variety of roses cultivated in Hosur, 60km from Bangalore, an area otherwise known as an industrial hub where everything from Leyland trucks to TVS motorcycles and Titan watches are manufactured.

Endowed with the perfect climate for the flower’s cultivation, Hosur’s rose story has been pioneered by Tanflora Infrastructure Park, a joint venture involving the Tamil Nadu government, which has emerged as the world’s fourth-largest and Asia’s largest rose producer and exporter.

Using the co-operative cluster farm model perfected in Israel, Tanflora produces 16 varieties of over three million roses a year, each one booked by importers in three continents.

For Valentine’s Day, the rose plants are cut in mid-December so they can flower in early February. They are capped with elastic nets so they do not open out prematurely. Their stems are cut uniformly, cooled and stored in less than 8° Fahrenheit (-13° Celsius) before they’re packed in cardboard boxes and flown out.

“Taj Mahal was specially bred for us by a French breeder two years ago and proved such a big hit during last year’s Valentine’s Day with its thick deep red petals and long, near-thornless stems that this year we have orders for a million,” said Tanflora MD Najeed Ahmed. Each stem sells for one euro (Rs 64).

While Taj Mahal and other deep-red varieties are popular in European nations, other countries have their preferences, too. “The Japanese like white and yellow coloured roses. Pink is the flavour in West Asia where people like their roses to be fully opened. Europeans like the bloom to remain tight,” said Asima Sultana, a Tanflora director.

Saudi Arabia imports a solid consignment of red roses well in advance to beat a government ban on V-Day celebrations that kicks in from February 12.

An importer is already in Hosur to ensure that his Saudi consignment is on its way before February 10.

“Tanflora’s success proves India can produce quality roses and create demand for new varieties. Our boom has coincided with the fading out of flower farms in Europe because of expensive labour. So there is an immense scope to expand this success story,” said S. Ramasundaram, the chief of the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation, the state company that holds 50 per cent equity in Tanflora.

Taj Mahal completed, it is time for Tanflora to unveil Kohinoor, a combination of light and dark pink roses. But that rose story will have to wait for next year’s Valentine’s Day.