Orchids are herbaceous monocot plants, monopodials or sympodials. They may be epiphytic, terrestrial and lithophytic or saprophytic. About 70% of the world’s orchids are epiphytic and/or lithophytic, 25% are terrestrial and 5% of the world’s orchids grow in mixed substrates. Brazilian Cattleya, Mexican Laelia and Indian Cymbidium, Vanda and Dendrobium have played a major role in developing present day beautiful hybrid orchids which numbers more than 300000. International trade is dominated by a small number of genera viz. Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Phalaenopsis, Cattleya and Oncidium with huge number of hybrids. In India, some of native genera like Cymbidium, Paphiopedilum, Vanda, Arachnis and Dendrobium are grown on a large scale with good agricultural practices for cut flower production. In the international trade, among top ten cut flowers, orchids rank the sixth position and among orchids Cymbidium ranks the first position and in floricultural crops it accounts for 3% of the total cut flower production. The Cymbidium is mainly grown in Sikkim, Darjeeling hills, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. Tropical orchids are cultivated in Kerala and some parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra. In addition to cut flower production, they are used as genetic resources for crop improvement, cut foliages, flowering / potted plants /hanging baskets, sources of phytochemicals, sources of essential oils, sources of plant pigments, sources of dyes, dried flowers/other plant parts, flower arrangement and flower ornaments, bouquets. Commercialization of technologies of orchids includes registration of new traits by following DUS test guidelines, standard potting media for commercial cultivation of pot and cut flower orchids, improved propagation techniques, organic production, year-round production by proper selection of tropical and temperate orchids, floret packaging techniques, flower drying and waste to wealth management.