Kochiites had a busy schedule on Saturday as they went on a shopping spree, thronging vegetable and fruit markets on the eve of Vishu.
Hundreds turned up at the busy Broadway market here to buy vegetables and fruits. Street vendors did brisk business with the demand for clothes peaking on the festival eve.
Textile outlets in the city and outskirts recorded good business.
The prices of vegetables were regulated to a certain extent thanks to intervention by the authorities in the market. Horticorp organised a vegetable fair at its district procurement centre at Kakkanad.
Vishu vegetable markets sold items that were directly procured from farmers in the district, at reasonable rates.
Supplyco too organised special Vishu fairs at its outlets. Various commodities were sold through the outlets in an effort to check price rise.
An official release said the price of Jaya rice was brought down to ₹32.50 a kg. The agency transferred the benefits of reduction in the procurement rate to customers by reducing the price. It added that the Matta variety was sold through Supplyco outlets at ₹36 a kg.
Plastic flowers
The demand for Kanikkonna soared by evening. Youngsters cashed in on the demand by selling bunches of flowers.
The price of a bunch, which was ₹20 in the morning, went up to ₹50 by evening thanks to rise in demand. Interestingly, supermarkets sold plastic Konna at ₹50 to ₹60 a bunch for those who could not manage to get the original flower. Artificial vegetables and fruits also found place in the Vishu platter as Vishu Kani.
The demand for Krishna idols also peaked on Vishu eve and many thronged shops to buy them. Besides paper pulp idols, people took home fibre- and poly marble idols.
Paper pulp idols were priced between ₹100 to ₹2,000, while those made of fibre were sold at ₹700 to ₹5,000 depending.
Sale of fire crackers also boomed by evening. Unlike previous years, when Chinese firecrackers had ruled the market, local varieties like ‘olapadakkam’, ‘kambithiri’, and ‘poothiri’ were in great demand this time. A string of 100 olapadakkams was sold at ₹60 to ₹70, while ‘malapadakkam’ was priced at ₹50.
Catering units too received orders for Vishu Sadya. Hotels have arranged Vishu Sadya, priced between ₹200 and ₹1,200.
