LuLu lifts Onam flower imports to GCC by 20% despite West Asia disruption
LuLu Group supplied more than 10,000 tonnes of marigolds and other flowers from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to GCC markets for Onam, deploying chartered Kochi–Abu Dhabi cargo flights alongside air and sea freight.
What happened
Lulu Group · LuLu Group shipped over 10,000 tonnes of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka flowers to GCC markets for Onam, using chartered flights, air cargo and sea
Key facts
- More than 10,000 tonnes of flowers supplied from India to GCC markets
- Around 20% higher volume than last year
- Two dedicated chartered cargo flights from Kochi to Abu Dhabi
- More than 2 million Malayalis live across the GCC
Why this matters
LuLu’s ability to move Indian perishables into GCC markets at scale reinforces the strategic appeal of deeper sourcing, cold-chain, and logistics partnerships across the India–Gulf corridor.
What to watch
- GCC retail pricing for marigolds and other festival flowers versus last Onam season.
- Air-cargo rates and capacity on India-GCC routes, especially Kochi-Abu Dhabi.
- Extent and duration of West Asia airspace, port or shipping disruptions.
- Flower wastage and sell-through rates after the Onam peak.
- LuLu announcements on new cold-chain facilities, grower contracts, cargo charters or direct-import hubs.
- Comparable seasonal-import activity from Carrefour, Nesto, Safari, Al Madina and other GCC grocers.
- Use festival flower availability to bundle Onam grocery, sweets, apparel and gifting promotions.
- Lock in recurring charter or block-space agreements for major Indian cultural calendars, including Vishu, Diwali and Eid.
- Expand direct procurement from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka growers, with pre-cooling, grading and packaging closer to farms.
- Shift lower-urgency floral and produce volumes to sea-air or refrigerated sea freight where shelf life permits.
- Use demand and spoilage data from the Onam peak to refine store-level allocation across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.