Christmas Tree Farming Business Plan For India
Christmas is celebrated in India with loads of enthusiasm and when it comes to decoration and Christmas celebration the Christmas tree occupies a divine place among it. Without a decorated Christmas tree the celebration of Christmas would never be completed. It represents the spirit of Christmas. A Christmas tree could be of any height, and it is usually placed is placed mostly in the living room. In India a Christmas tree is an evergreen, coniferous tree, which is decorated with colorful bright lights. Gorgeous variety of colored ornaments, which adds to the beauty of the tree. The apex of the tree will definitely have a star or an angel to represent the nativity scene of the Christmas story.
As the tradition goes by the tree must be put up on Christmas Eve. It is taken down in the first week of January just after the feast of Epiphany. However the options available to buy a Christmas tree would be from a live tree to an artificial tree. Many of us place the Christmas tree days before the Christmas Eve. Having said that those people who have space available and personal preference for a live tree creates the potential segment for the market of Live Christmas tree.
Why Start a Christmas Tree Farming Business?
People who have farms or lands and have no idea what to plant in the barren land, as they are already preoccupied with other things, then this business is for them, It is one of the business that requires little amount of work on your part, though the business is considered to be a seasonal one but with bare minimum investment and a less amount of work it is a suitable business. Another big attraction for the business is that the caring for the tree for the first four years is little and an annual pruning helps the trees lush out for the fuller shape that the customers prefer.
A sincere word of advice to the potential starters would be to first check out the feasibility of the market for Christmas tree. This will enable you to stay in grounded reality and the startup will not backfire.
Which Natural Trees Can Be Grown
Essentially, all Christmas tree are actually conifers, going by the tradition they were cut down before Christmas and transported to their respective homes. Tree belonging to the genus Abies are the most popular Christmas tree. These belong to the fir trees and include a number of positive points in their favor. They grow fast and possess a good scent and foliage color. An additional positive point would be that they do not shed their pine needles.
There other varieties of the coniferous treasured for Christmas are the giant sequoia, Leyland cypress, Eastern Jupiter, etc. Spruce tree are another popular option but they comes with a drawbacks. Spruce trees sheds its needles quickly, their needles are very sharp and this makes the decorating the tree a difficult task. The average time required by a Christmas tree to grow from a seed into a tree that is about seven feet tall is 8-12 years. The growth of the trees also depends upon on the species of tree selected, soil quality, etc.
Quick tips for caring for the trees.
Soil & watering
Christmas tree can grow in almost any type of soil, but loamy soil is ideal. Always keep the soil moist.
Sunlight
Seedlings can’t tolerate high temperature, so they should be planted in cool weather.
Fertilizers
feed your plant once or twice a year with all-purpose fertilizer. Compost can be added to increase nutrient levels. However, the plant doesn’t need much fertilizing.
How much Money you could make?
Well, looking at the current market trends and growth of the business the average selling price of a fir tree sapling could be anywhere around Rs. 300 per piece. But a fully grown 5 to 8 feet tall fir tree could be sold for around Rs. 3000 to Rs. 10000. Doing an online research I have myself witnessed people selling a 6 feet fir tree for around Rs. 8000. If you’re final tree is lush, green and attractive you could fetch higher bucks. The use of a live Christmas tree is irreplaceable in comparison to an artificial tree. The marketing of your product and free delivery to sites will get you more customers.
What Is The Target Market?
You might expect that the end users of the Christmas tress would be the value chain of the plants and flower grower industry but they far reaching from us. Although you could have a tie up with them for selling your product for a little commission. But we would prefer that you look at the list of various buyers below.
- Households
- Corporate organizations
- Churches
- Government agencies
- Educational Institutes
- Landscapers
- Interior and exterior décor companies
- Facility and Estate managers
Conclusion:
Above we have given all the required details of the Christmas Tree Farming business idea for India. Prior to the startup we would suggest that a feasibility study should be done on your part.