Last year, during the festival season of Shravana month, Bengaluru was reeling under the first wave of COVID-19. This year, the festive spirit has taken hold of the city, with people visiting markets and gatherings.
However, citizens were shocked to find the price of flowers skyrocketing during Varamahalakshmi festival, while vendors cited short supply as the reason.
A kilo of jasmine buds was trading at ₹2,000, at least two-and-a-half times its usual cost. Kanakambara, usually in demand for the festival, was selling in the range of ₹1,400 to ₹1,800 a kilo. Even marigolds and chrysanthemums were in demand, but their prices were on expected lines - ₹200 to ₹300 a kilo. “There is a severe shortage of supply of flowers this year. The recent rain has also caused crop loss,” said G.M. Divakar, president, K.R. Market Flower Merchants’ Association. K.R. Market is one of the largest flower markets in the State.
Vegetables and fruits
Another reason for the shortage is that many farmers who traditionally grew flowers were badly affected by the pandemic and have taken to growing vegetables and fruits, Mr. Divakar observed.
Flower growers were one of the worst hit during the pandemic and several lockdowns. As places of worship were closed and festivities remained subdued, flowers were also considered non-essential leading to huge losses to farmers, prompting the State government to announce a relief package for flower growers earlier this year. However, many shifted to other crops fearing more losses this year.
Ravi Kumar, a farmer from Anekal, traditionally grew Kanakambara, but has now started cultivating vegetables. “Flowers are considered non-essential not only by the governments, but also by people during the pandemic. One of the first cuts many people implemented in their homes were flowers. We suffered huge losses, prompting us to move to other crops,” he said, adding many of his friends had also similarly taken to other crops.
Gauribidanur in Kolar district is a hub for growing Kanakambara, but there, too, output has been considerably lower compared to previous years, sources in the industry said.
“There’s a similar trend in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu, from where the city receives jasmine buds,” Mr. Divakar said.
