Plastic may never wilt, but it's choking Maharashtra’s blooming floriculture industry—prompting MLAs across party lines to call for a ban on artificial flowers. Legislators on Monday raised concerns about the harmful impact of synthetic flowers on public health, the environment, and the livelihoods of thousands of farmers involved in floriculture.
Shiv Sena MLA Mahesh Shinde, speaking during a debate on a calling attention motion in the Assembly, warned that artificial flowers contain toxic substances such as titanium dioxide, which pose serious health risks. “Some European countries have already banned plastic flowers. It’s time we do the same,” he urged.
Shinde cited the crisis in his home district of Satara, where a once-thriving floriculture industry has nearly collapsed. “There were around 1,300 greenhouses dedicated to flower cultivation. Today, fewer than 50 remain,” he revealed. In Verne village alone—once home to 375 greenhouses—the flower trade is now on the brink of extinction, he added.
The growing market for plastic flowers in cities like Aurangabad, Mumbai, and Pune has further jeopardized the natural flower trade. Maharashtra, which pioneered a floriculture and horticulture policy in the 1990s, remains one of India’s top flower-producing states. However, the influx of cheap, toxic synthetic flowers has had a devastating impact on farmers and local economies.
Shinde’s concerns found wide support across the political spectrum. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Kailas Patil, Congress leader Nana Patole, and BJP member Narayan Kuche all echoed the call for a ban, stressing that the unchecked sale of plastic flowers is destroying the floriculture economy.
In response, Floriculture Minister Bharat Gogawale assured the House that a high-level meeting would be convened before the end of the monsoon session. He added that officials from the Environment Ministry would also participate to discuss the issue in detail. As lawmakers unite to combat the growing threat of plastic blooms, the message is clear: let real flowers flourish, and let fake ones perish.
