The simmering discontent among flower growers against Chinese plastic flowers has found a voice again in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing the phasing out of single-use plastics from October 2, Gandhi Jayanthi.
The plastic, synthetic flowers imported from China have replaced fresh flowers in most spaces and events. The ubiquitous plastic flowers, synthetic grass, have come to feature predominantly in the decor of homes, hotels, religious festivals, weddings and corporate events.
President of Hosur Small Farmers Association Bala Siva Prasad told The Hindu that the import-export data says the import of the plastic flowers in the last fiscal was to the tune of ₹148 crore [20.6 million USD]. These flowers are put to use at least 20 to 25 times for various events.
This cuts down purchases of fresh flowers, inflicting a loss of ₹ 3,000 crores [418.2 million USD] on the flower growers in the country.
Event management companies depend on plastic flowers, when customers prefer cost-cutting. “Where ₹1 lakh [1,400 USD] worth of flowers is needed, they buy flowers for ₹20,000 [280 USD] and use synthetic flowers for the rest of the decor,” Siva Prasad said.