Visitors at the 71st rose show at Ranchi Club. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, March 25: Paradise, Double delight, Ace of Hearts, Toro, Laura, Peter Franklin Field or John F. Kennedy — a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. With around a dozen new varieties added in the city this season, it sure is a rosy picture in the state capital.

Ranchi, in fact, has managed to cultivate roses six inches wide in diameter and is second only to New Zealand that grows seven-inch wide roses. With help from the Rose society of Ranchi many new varieties have been added in the last 30 years.

The society, which was established in 1970 with Marie Palit as its first president, has spread its wings and sees participants from far and wide for its annual shows. The society also organises workshops for the rose cultivators to help them improvise.

Ashok Marwaha, cultivator and consultant of the Dutch rose, pointed out that the popular variety is being cultivated growing in Chandwa near Kanke block on a 1.2-acre plot. “Apart from the local market, Dutch roses are in demand in Calcutta and Delhi. Over 3,000 roses are cultivated everyday and the soil and agro-climatic conditions are congenial for the plant. This is a first-of-its-kind project in Eastern India,” said Marwaha.

However, despite favourable climatic conditions, lack of exposure in the international market is posing a problem.

Dr H.P. Behl, secretary of the Rose Society of Ranchi told The Telegraph that the quality of rose grown in the city is the best in the world but due to lack of exposure it cannot capture the world market. “To get attention cities across the world participate in the flower auction at Aalsmeer in Holland, but Ranchi cannot find a place in the global map unless the state government develops green houses in the city,” said Behl.

The secretary further added that another hurdle is the absence of international flights to Holland. “There are direct flights from Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad to Holland where flower exchange takes place,” Behl said.

The city also requires a trial ground for rose cultivation. “First, the roses are grown on a trial ground after which the best quality is selected and grown under controlled conditions in a green house,” said the secretary.

While sharing an anecdote, Behl said, it was in the winter of 1984 that Indira Gandhi, who was on a visit to attend the Science Congress at BIT-Mesra, had attended the Winter Rose Show at the Raj Bhavan campus in Patna and loved the yellow roses called Summer Sunshine.

Around 4,000 varieties of roses can be grown in Ranchi for commercial purposes and at present 2,000 new varieties are added every year.