That Itola, along with Bil, Chapad, Bhayeli and Varsada, produce the maximum quantity of roses -- about 5.5 tonnes/hectare annually -- in the district is no secret. What is news is that both acreage and production can be said to be on the rise now; September is the beginning of the harvest season.

Say District Deputy Director (Horticulture) R D Kalaria and horticulture officer Dilip Bhatt, ``The production of roses and tuberoses is likely to cross the six tonne/hectare average.'' The leap is significant, when one considers that a couple of years ago, the maximum yield of each hectare was between three and five tonnes.

The reasons for this are various, say officials of the Horticulture department, backed by B M Vaghela of the Nurserymen's Association and the Agriculture-Horticulture Committee of Vadodara. For one, they say, flowers have moved out of temples and puja-rooms to become a favourite gift item for urbanites.

Moreover, farmers of Padra, Karjan, Vadodara and Jetpurpavi, quick to catch on to the trend, have developed a monopoly on the flower-market. So, though wholesale prices of roses and marigolds can go up to Rs 20/kg or Rs 10/kg on festive days -- they sell for half the price the rest of the year -- their freshness and fragrance ensure a steady stream of buyers.

But there are problems galore for flower farmers. Young farmers Ranjit and Mukesh Patel say they face the same problems their fathers did -- transporting the flowers and selling them from makeshift stalls at best.

``In Ahmedabad, there's a full-fledged Phool Bazaar. In Vadodara, we have to rush to the Khanderao market, hurriedly sell what we can, and wind up because the other traders start coming in immediately after sunrise.'', complains Mukesh Patel.

But patience pays. Says State Agriculture Minister Becharbhai Badani, ``I personally feel floriculture in the State and specific regions like Ahmedabad and Vadodara need further promotion. I cannot announce anything at the moment in view of the electoral code of conduct, but the State government has plans in the context.''