MADURAI: With the festive season approaching fast, the prices of flowers have started sky-rocketing and are set to burn a hole in the common man’s pocket. For instance, Jasmine and other flowers got dearer by at least 300 per cent within a span of 24 hours and sellers attribute the rise to fall in production owing to scanty rains.
Retailers, taking into account the series of festivals lined up, said that the price would continue its northward journey for sometime to come. Jasmine, which was being sold for Rs40, Rs50 and Rs60 per kg on Sunday depending on quality at Mattuthavani flower market, went for Rs140, Rs150 and Rs160 per kg on Monday.
Pichi, which fetched Rs100 per kg, doubled on Sunday, while Mullai, a variety of Jasmine, touched Rs200 per kg. Rose too was not left untouched by the spike and the price rose from Rs50 to Rs100 per kg within 24 hours.
Explaining the reasons behind the sudden escalation, S Ramachandran, president of Mattuthavani flower market, said, “The dry spell with scanty rainfall affected production. This coupled with the increased demand in view of the festival season has led to the price spike.”
Increase in demand for seasonal varieties in view of Ramzan and Aadi Puram festivals too contributed to the rise, he said, adding that the trend would continue for a few days. “There is limited growth during the moon waning period. However, the production would get a boost when the moon enters waxing phase,” he said.