According to sources, the horticulturists who used to get subsidy from the government to set up these units sold off the land after projecting them as "unviable". Most of the units which closed down were large export oriented units of about 3-4 hectares, sources said.

Triggered by the real-estate boom in the last three years, the property prices in and around Pune and Talegaon have increased from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh per acre which has prompted flower-growers to sell off the prime land and move to cheaper locales. "The property prices have swelled 10-fold in the last three years, said Praveen Sharma, the chief consultant of Flora Consult, a Pune-based consultant for floriculture projects.

"As a result, places in Bhor taluka, Satana, Sangli have become new destinations for floriculturists", he said adding that Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority ( APEDA) was in the process of reviving some of the "unviable" units in Pune.

"At the Talegaon floriculture park, floriculturists are also finding it difficult to find enough labourers for their labour-intensive units. The workforce which used to tend flowers now opt to work for higher wages in the manufacturing units of L&T, General Motors, Posco and others which have come up in the area near the park", Sharma remarked.

"Even in Hyderabad, the floriculturists are selling land to realtors", said M M Hussain, vice-chairman of Hyderabad Nurseries Consortium and former general secretary of Indian Nurserymen Association.

"Most of the units which were set up for exports have closed down within a space of three years. At present, only one is operating. Hyderabad which was second in terms of flower production in the country has fallen drastically", said Mr Hussain. "The state government has also been of little help. No new units have come up in Hyderabad during the last few years", he remarked.