‘Sravana maasam’, an auspicious month in the Telugu calendar, did not bring cheers to traders and commission agents at the wholesale flower market here. The prices of flowers have increased, but not much as they used to be in the past. Moreover, there is no hectic activity which is generally seen during this period.
The flowers such as chrysanthemum, which are considered a must during the Varalakshmi puja, have become a rare commodity. Similarly, southern wood (davanam) and sweet marjoram (maruvam) are not seen in the market.
According to information, several varieties, including roses, are being imported from Bengaluru on a daily basis, while jasmine and winter jasmine (jaji) are from local markets. But, the arrivals have come down drastically. Each trader used to sell not less than 1,000 kg of flowers a day. Now, it has come down to 400 kg to 600 kg a day.
Similarly, the arrivals of jasmine (malle) and firecracker (kanakambaram) have come down. Not more than 100 to 150 kg of jasmine is being sold every day in the market. Only one or two traders are able to get little over 10 kg of firecrackers each day. The firecrackers are sold at ₹600 a kg on Wednesday.
No supply
Vendors like Khwaja say there are no supplies of ‘davanam’ and ‘maruvam’ from Chennai for more than a month. There is no possibility of supply of these varieties this season. As an alternative, green foliage, which has no aroma is being used in garlands, he says.
S. Appa Rao, a vendor who usually sells hybrid roses and varieties like star, has switched to Persian roses (’desi gulabi’/ ‘naatu gulabi’). ‘Naatu gulabi’, supplied by farmers from nearby villages in Guntur district, is sold at ₹80 a kg.
A month ago, the Persian roses were sold at as low as ₹40 a kg. It is not possible to invest on hybrid roses and wind up sales by noon. So, ‘naatu gulabi’ is being sold, he says. The prices of the ‘kagada malle’ have doubled and sold at ₹400 a kg. The chrysanthemum is sold at ₹320 a kg. The winter jasmine is sold at ₹80 a kg.
