Flowers get costlier by 50% as Navratra begins

NEW DELHI: Flowers have become costlier by 50 per cent in the national capital due to increase in demand on the eve of Navratra amid poor supply from producing areas such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
    
On the second day of Navratras, a holy week in Hindu mythology for fast and prayers, flowers such as rose and marigold have increased in the range of Rs 30-50 per cent at Mehrauli Flower Market in south Delhi.
    
Rose prices jumped by 50 per cent to Rs 180 per kg and marigold by 30 per cent at Rs 120 per kg. Other flowers such as orchid, tulip, anthuriums and coronation have also risen.
    
"The prices are rising as most of the flower crop in and around the capital is destroyed due to heavy rains," the Mehrauli Flower Market General Secretary Yogesh Saini said.     

He said the marigold crop mostly produced at Yamuna riverbed in Delhi was washed away by flood last week while production of other flowers like guldawri and jaffri were affected in Uttar Pradesh.
    
Off-season rains and a recent flood in main producing Yamuna river-bed, mainly pushed up rose and marigold flower prices, a trader said, adding that sluggish supply from Hyderabad also pushed up prices.
    
Rose and marigold flowers are largely used in Navratras. Large quantity of flowers are imported from neighbouring states while some from southern states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
    
A trader at Central Delhi Flower Market Sher Singh said, "Flower prices are likely increase further by this week-end as demand is expected rise during Durga Pooja and 'Ashtami Poojan".
    
Prices are expected to be high ahead of marriage season and other festivals such as Dussehra and Diwali, he said.

The wholesale prices of tulip and lily have gone up to Rs 40 a stick against about Rs 20 during the off-season. Prices of rose, cornation and gladiolus also rose to Rs 10 a piece from their non-seasonal price of Rs three, a trader said.
    
Retail prices have seen even a larger surge due to the seasonal demand, and new trend of offering flower bunches during marriages and other domestic celebrations, Rajesh Kumar of Janak Puri Flower Market in the western Delhi.
    
"Retail prices are also high because we add accessories to ornament bouquets," a city-based flower boutique, GK Flowers', Yashwant Singh said.
    
"The demand for flowers is growing annually by 40 per cent in metros as people have shifted to real flowers from artificial plastic and silk flowers. They are splurging on real flowers in a big way," said Sher Singh.
    
He said the flower market in Delhi alone has a potential size of about Rs 5,000 crore, but non-availability of good quality flowers is hitting the market hard.     

In view of the current fall in supply, the demand for imported flowers mainly from Holland and Thailand picking up for their long shelf life and looks.
    
"Imported flowers are cheaper and last for long when compared to desi flowers," Saini said, adding that orchid, tulip and lily are imported from abroad giving better response in the retail markets.