MADURAI: Even as Madurai gears up for Deepavali, the early onset of northeast monsoon has affected jasmine cultivation across the district, leading to a significant dip in the arrival of the flower at the wholesale markets. With supply shrinking, jasmine prices have surged nearly threefold over the past week.
Until last week, jasmine was sold for Rs 500 to Rs 600 a kilogram. On Friday, the price skyrocketed to Rs 1,500 to 1,700 per kilo, driven by poor arrival and high festive demand. On Saturday, the price rose to Rs 2,000. M Karuthamuthu, treasurer of the Usilampatti wholesale flower market, said that the market usually receives around 10 tonnes of jasmine every day. However, on Friday and Saturday, barely 100 kilograms reached the market.
“With Deepavali around the corner and the supply continuing to dwindle, prices may go above Rs 2,000 a kilogram in the next couple of days.”
M Murugan, treasurer of the Mattuthavani flower market, said that the arrival of jasmine has drastically stopped due to the continuous rain across the region. On Saturday, the market received hardly 2 to 2.5 tonnes, rather than the usual 10 tonnes. “The flowers were sold at Rs 2,000 per kilo, and the prices in the coming days will depend on how much produce arrives.”
Manoharan, a flower trader from Mattuthavani market, said that due to the festive demand, prices of pichi and mullai have also increased to Rs 1,500 and 1,400 per kilo from Rs 600 per kilo.
Maruthupandian, a jasmine farmer from Usilampatti, stated that the rainfall has significantly impacted yield. “We are now harvesting only a few kilos per acre, whereas we used to pick over 10 kilos on normal days,” he added.
Jasmine farmers from Madurai said the harvest may shrink further. Usually, the monsoon that hits later in November arrived earlier amid the peak festive season.
