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.
Read more at: The Free Press Journal
