Sharp increase in the prices of flowers, vegetables and other ‘puja’ materials in view of ‘Ayudha puja’ to be celebrated on Friday did not dampen the festival spirit of the buyers.
Price of a 35 kg-bag fried chickpea rose from ₹4,100 to ₹4,300 on Thursday and a small bag of rice flake weighing 500 gram was being sold at ₹40, which was only ₹30 until Tuesday. A bundle of 100 banana leaves was being sold at ₹750.
Flower price at Getwell Flower Market and Palayamkottai Flower Market was also very high due to the festival celebrations with both jasmine and ‘pitchipoo’ being priced at ₹1,100 a kg each. A small garland, which was sold at ₹30 till Wednesday was sold for ₹75 on Thursday.
The Thovaalai flower market, one of the biggest flower markets in southern Tamil Nadu received 250 tonnes of flowers from various places, mostly from the surrounding villages in Kanniyakumari district and Radhapuram taluk.
“Price of flowers is increasing as demand goes up… Jasmine, which was sold at ₹400 a kg on Wednesday, rose to ₹900 on Thursday and oleander price increased from ₹250 to ₹450 a kg. The price will be high till Sunday,” said traders at Thovaalai flower market.
Flower prices in Thoothukudi had skyrocketed with jasmine being sold at ₹1,000 a Kg on Thursday. White pitchi (₹1,200), colour pitchi (₹800), rose (₹300), button rose (₹300), red rose (₹400), sevvanthi poo (₹400), marigold (₹70), mullai (₹800) and lotus (₹20 per flower) were also sold briskly. The price of kanakaambaram rose to ₹2,000 a Kg.
Since residents and traders celebrating ‘Ayudha puja’ buy plantain saplings to decorate their houses and the shops, a pair of small banana sapling was being sold at ₹30. Banana saplings from Authoor, Mukkaani, Srivaikundam, Kulaiyankarisal, Koottaampuli and other places had been heaped near Kamaraj Vegetable Market and VOC Market of the town.
Similarly, the prices of banana varieties brought from Erode, Sathyamangalam, Theni and Thisaiyanvilai also shot-up considerably in view of ‘Ayudha puja’ celebrations. The traditional ‘Naadu’ variety, which was sold at ₹500 a bunch on Wednesday was priced at ₹700. Other varieties like ‘sakkai’, ‘poovan’, ‘kozhi’ etc. were also sold between ₹450 a bunch. However, the price of most sought-after ‘sevaazhai’ variety rose to ₹1,300 a bunch.
“The main reason for the increased prices of banana in Thoothukudi market was due to the gale that lashed Tiruchendur and adjoining areas last week and which badly damaged the plantain ready for harvest,” said a trader.
A small bunch of mango leaves and coconut frond decorations were sold for ₹10 each.
Despite the increase in price, the public virtually invaded the vegetable and flower markets and the roadside vendors selling ‘puja’ materials in large number. Large number of policemen were deployed along busy roads to regulate the crowd
Published – October 10, 2024 06:09 pm IST