Sankranti, the first major festival of the year, is just around the corner. But the surge in COVID-19 cases — more than 15,000 new cases were reported in the city on Wednesday — and restrictions seem to have dampened the festive cheer. The State Government has imposed restrictions not only on public gatherings, but also at places of worship for Vaikuntha Ekadashi that usually sees serpentine queues at temples on Thursday and Sankranti on Saturday.
With prices of most of the festival essentials on a downward trend, traders hoped to make some good business. The price of flowers, sugarcane, groundnuts, avarekai, and ellu bella – integral part of the upcoming Sankranti festival – all seem to be at the lower end. But people don’t seem to be in the festive mood, lament traders. “Our business is not even half the usual we do in the run up to Sankranti,” said Shankarappa, who sells sugarcane in the city. A cane is selling in the range of ₹30 to ₹40.
Rashmi T, has been selling the customary ellu bella for over two decades at a shop in Mahalakshmi Layout. “We would easily sell over 600 kg of ellu bella every year. Many times, we have gone for a second batch of preparation. But for the first time in 2021, we were left with unsold stocks. So this year, we cut down to 400 kg. Considering how slow business is, we may not be able to sell even that,” she said. A kilo of ellu bella costs in the range of ₹300 to ₹350.
This trend is seen among flower merchants too. According to G.M. Diwakar, president, K. R. Market Flower Merchants’ Association, prices of most flowers except jasmine and kanakambara are “very affordable” this season. For this time of the year, many are flowers are selling at 40% below normal. However, business is not half of what it used to be. Chrysanthemums are selling in the range of ₹50 to ₹80, Sugandharaja at ₹50 and roses for anywhere between ₹50 to ₹60 a kilo. Kanakambara and jasmine, which are off-season flowers, cost ₹600 and ₹1,000 a kilo, respectively.
Shwetha Gowda, a homemaker from south Bengaluru, said with cases rising exponentially and stricter restrictions in force, her family, which runs a watch shop, had already begun to feel the pinch. “We are in no mood for a grand festival. Moreover, we are terrified to go to crowded markets like Gandhi Bazaar to buy the customary festival items,” she said.
One silver lining is the price of many vegetables, which had shot up due to heavy rains in October-November and the subsequent crop damage, is finally seeing a correction. Barring carrot, which is still trading at ₹100 level, prices of most vegetables have dropped. While a kilo of beans cost ₹70, brinjals are selling for ₹55, capsicum at ₹70, and tomatoes at ₹35 per kg. Most gourds are selling in the range of ₹35-₹45. “A new crop of vegetables has come for harvest and the supply has been mostly restored. Over the next two months, there won’t be any supply issues and prices are expected to further drop,” said a procurement chief for a grocery chain in the city.
