India, Sept. 29 -- Ladakh marked a milestone in commercial floriculture on Tuesday with the despatch of its first air consignment of locally grown lilium flowers to major national markets.

Lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena flagged off the initial shipment of 15,000 "A-grade" stems at Leh airport. As a symbolic gesture, the LG presented bouquets of the Ladakh-grown blooms to flight crew members carrying the cargo to Delhi, Mumbai, and Chandigarh.

Cultivated at 10,600 feet in Leh's Choglamsar area-the world's highest-altitude flower field-the first consignment includes red, pink, white, yellow, and orange liliums. In commercial trade, "A-grade" refers to stems with four to five buds, which fetch premium retail rates between Rs.150 an...