Jasmine smells sweet but prices not so rosy

KOCHI: Come evening and the scent of jasmine pervades different parts of the city when the bundles that land from Tamil Nadu are opened. The buds and flowers have to be preserved till next evening for sale. The sweet smell apart, one has to pay through the nose for a span of threaded flowers - Rs 20 to 25 or more. Ever since winter set in, the price of jasmine has ranged from  Rs 600 to  800 per kg. Before that it was Rs 200 to 250 per kg.But as November 27 was considered an auspicious day, the demand peaked on Saturday and the price rose to Rs 1,600 per kg, said Raja Mohammed who runs a wholesale shop in Coimbatore and a retail shop in Kaloor. The rain also played spoilsport, he said.  The price of jasmine can be anywhere between Rs 80 and 1,600 depending on the amount procured and the demand. And if the demand rises like that of Saturday, the price will also go up. The trend will continue over the next three months, he said.“The season is not congenial for blooming due to the mist and the flowers are pretty small, but the demand is more  due to Sabarimala pilgrimage as flowers are sought-after for decorating puja rooms, temples and vehicles, for marriage and miscellaneous needs,” said vendors in different parts of the city.  Since winter, local agents in Muvattupuzha and other areas have stopped supplying flowers and we depend on flowers from Tamil Nadu, mostly from Coimbatore, Madurai, Dindigal, and Thovala. Even agents in Tamil Nadu find it difficult to source flowers, said Manoj who runs a flower shop in Palarivattom.The rates vary each day and it is fixed during the auction held at 3 am every morning and the flowers reach Kerala by evening. “I keep the buds in the fridge, the strung flowers are more expensive,” he said.  “When the prices rise, very few buy them. We lower the rates by the hour. A lot of flowers go waste,” said a Tamil couple at Ernakulam North, pointing to a large bundle of discoloured flowers. The  Rs 600 per kg will continue over the next few days and the rates are likely to rise in December and January after which it will plummet to normal, said Babu another vendor. The prices of other flowers too have risen but jasmine tops the list.