MADURAI: Come festival and it is time for flower vendors to rejoice as sale hits an all-time high. However, jasmine vendors at the Mattuthavani Flower Market said that it was not the usual brisk festive business as usual this year.The sale of jasmine (malli) is witnessing a dip as the cost has soared three times as compared to last year’s price. Attributing the escalated price to rains playing spoilsport for jasmine cultivation, S Ramachandran, President, Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar Flower Wholesalers Welfare Association, said the monsoon in the last few days have ruined creepers, resulting in wastage.
“Jasmine is being sold at `1,500 per kilogram while it was sold at `500 last year. The three-fold surge in price is due to limited supply of jasmine this year,” Ramachandran said. At the market, which houses about 300 flower shops, the trade volume of jasmine last year was five tonnes while it is less than half a tonne this year, which is 10 times less than last year’s figure,” he elaborated.
On the other hand, sellers of chrysanthemum (saamandhi), have been doing good business as buyers consider this the next best alternative to jasmine. R K K Balu (48), who has been in the business since the age of 12, said that the rains turned out favourable for chrysanthemum and prices have come down this year due to increased supply.
Vendors who procure flowers from Nilakottai, Dindigul, Theni, Vadipatti, Natham, Thirumangalam and Thiruparankundram say that there are more takers for the hybrid varieties of chrysanthemum that comes from Hosur. Hosur is the major producer of the hybrid varieties of chrysanthemum and roses throughout the year.
K S Kandasamy, who has been doing business for the last 13 years, said that the sales on Tuesday was less than that on Monday, the reason being that retailers stock up a couple of days before Deepavali, in anticipation of a hike in prices.“A rise in the price of jasmine has also benefitted the sale of roses which recorded good sales. It is sold at `150 for a bunch of 20,” said P Saravanan (42), who has been in the business for the last 18 years.
A floral trade
The prices of all flowers are determined depending on the sale of jasmine. The price of flowers like Arabian jasmine (mullai) and pink jasmine (jaadhi malli) spiral upwards when the price of jasmine soars. For instance, Arabian jasmine now costs D800 while the price was D400 last year. Sellers of chrysanthemum, (saamandhi) have been doing good business at the market this Deepavali.