Maharashtra to ban sale of artificial flowers to protect horticulture farmers

Raising the issue during the session, Shiv Sena MLA Mahesh Shinde said that a meeting had been held earlier with Minister Gogawale and the Chief Minister, during which Fadnavis had assured that a ban would be implemented.

Last week, Shinde had argued in the Assembly that the growing use of synthetic flowers was seriously impacting the livelihood of traditional flower cultivators. “This move will help farmers in a big way,” he said on Wednesday.

Minister Gogawale had then acknowledged that floriculturists across the state are facing financial losses due to the influx of low-cost, mass-produced artificial flowers. “Despite training programmes in advanced floriculture, greenhouse technology, and post-harvest handling, our farmers are being pushed out of the market by synthetic alternatives,” he said.

Gogawale had informed the House earlier that a high-level meeting with the environment minister will be held during the current session to finalise the implementation strategy and regulatory framework for the ban.