Vendors blame flooding, rain for pricey flowers this festive season

BENGALURU: With the Dasara festivities and the customary practice of offering puja to ‘Ayudhas’, flower vendors said that the rates of jasmine, lillies, marigold have multiplied. A kilo of jasmine now costs Rs 1,000, lillies Rs 300, and marigold Rs 120. GN Diwakar, President, KR Market Flower Merchant Association, told TNIE that the rate of flowers have almost doubled as the crops were damaged during heavy rain this year.

The supply of flowers to the city markets comes from Malur, Hoskote, Bagaluru, Anekal, Nelamangala, Kolar, Hosuru and Davanagere. “The minimum cost of a small garland of jasmine ranges from Rs 600 to Rs 800. Similarly, for offering puja to vehicles and office equipment, marigold and lillies are used. The price of marigold jumped from Rs 20 per kg last week to Rs 100 while lillies a kilo which were sold at Rs 150 last week has now doubled to Rs 300. The inflation is due to a rise in demand and shortage of supply as tonnes of flowers were damaged,” Diwakar said.

Krishna MR, a farmer involved in floriculture, said that he along with his relatives own 1.5 acres of land. He recalled that from September 4-8, the land was flooded and standing crops of roses and marie gold were destroyed.

One of the farmers said that he plans to supply marigold and chrysanthemum during Diwali, after removing all the decayed plant from his nursery near Bagaluru. “We were ready to supply marigold and chrysanthemum during Dasara, but flooding in Bengaluru led to 1.5 acres of flower buds being submerged for four days after Dakshina Pinakini swelled, resulting in a loss of around Rs 5 lakh.”