Bouquets not 'national waste', say flower vendors to BJP MP Tejasvi Surya

Bengaluru: South India Floriculture Association on Sunday urged BJP MP Tejasvi Surya to retract his recent statement referring to flower bouquets as "national waste".

During Facebook and YouTube Live sessions inviting the public to his wedding reception on March 10, Surya requested people to refrain from giving flower bouquets, calling them a "national waste".

Tejasvi Surya, who represents Bengaluru South, married classical singer-Bharatanatyam dancer Sivasri Skandaprasad in a traditional ceremony on Thursday.

South India Floriculture Association president T M Aravind emphasised that such remarks from a responsible leader are "inappropriate" and "undermine the hard work of lakhs of farmers who depend on floriculture for their livelihood."

According to him, floriculture in Karnataka is practised across 38,000 hectares, with commercial flower crops cultivated on more than 1,500 hectares. The state produces a variety of flowers, including roses, chrysanthemums, marigolds, jasmine, and kanakambaram, along with commercially significant cut flowers such as gerberas, anthuriums, and orchids, grown in greenhouses and polyhouses.

"The sector directly and indirectly supports 11 lakh people, while flower cultivation across 2.8 lakh acres sustains over 52 lakh individuals," Aravind added.

He noted that despite challenges such as competition from artificial flowers and unstable market prices, farmers continue to advocate for increased use of natural flowers.

Aravind also pointed out that BJP MP K Sudhakar from Chikkaballapura recently highlighted in Parliament that flowers are cultivated on 25,000 acres in the Chikkaballapura region and proposed the establishment of a floriculture board to support the industry.

He further stressed that flowers hold deep cultural and religious significance in Hindu traditions, with flower offerings being a revered practice for generations.

"While avoiding excessive gifting is understandable, labelling flower bouquets as ‘national waste’ disregards the efforts of farmers and threatens their livelihood," he claimed.