E-Paper
Flower prices in Pune to remain dirt cheap till Dussehra
APMC officials have predicted that this trend of reduction in prices will continue till Dussehra. Many of the farmers have not harvested their flowers as they want to sell their crop during Dussehra. On Dussehra, prices of these flowers will be reduced more by 25 per cent, said APMC officials.
Prices of marigold and chrysanthemums have reduced by 50 per cent this Navaratri season (October 10- October 17) as compared to the same period last year due to increase in supply at the agriculture produce market committee (APMC) Pune. Marigold was sold at ₹80-₹100 per kilogramme (kg) in 2017 and the cost reduced to ₹40-₹60 per kg this year. Chrysanthemums (shevanti) was sold at ₹100-₹200 per kilogramme in 2017 and the cost reduced to ₹20-₹80 in 2018.
The decrease in prices of flowers will help reduce the burden on the common man’s pocket as flowers form an important part of the Durga puja rituals during Navaratri and Dussehra (October 18) and are required in large amounts for the same.
The supply of flowers has doubled with 20 lakh kilogrammes of marigold arriving at the APMC Pune till Sunday as compared to only 10 lakh kilogrammes received during Navaratri and Dussehra last year. The reason for the increase in supply is because farmers turned to floriculture as these flowers could be harvested within two months and had very little water requirement. Hence, many farmers took to growing marigold and chrysanthemums ahead of Navaratri and Dussehra.
BJ Deshmukh, administrator of APMC Pune, said,“The state received less rainfall this season and hence, most of the farmers turned towards floriculture as a crop can easily be harvested within two months. Hence, this increased the supply of the flowers, leading to a reduction in the prices.”
PS Koli, head of flower market, said that till Sunday, a total of 20 lakh kg of marigold flowers arrived at APMC Pune. Till Sunday, APMC Pune witnessed the arrival of 50,000 kg of chrysanthemums.
APMC officials have predicted that this trend of reduction in prices will continue till Dussehra. Many of the farmers have not harvested their flowers as they want to sell their crop during Dussehra. On Dussehra, prices of these flowers will be reduced more by 25 per cent, said APMC officials.
At the Pune Market Yard situated at Gultekdi, about 10,000 kg of marigold and 8,000 kg to 9,000 kg of chrysanthemums are brought every day from neighbouring districts like Sangli, Satara, Solapur and Kolhapur.
Comparison
1. In 2017APMC Pune saw arrival of 10 lakh kg of chrysanthemums
2. The average rate per kg of marigold was ₹80-₹100, while Chryansanthemums was sold at ₹100-₹200.
3. In 2018, APMC saw arrival of 20 lakh kg of marigold and 50,000 kg of chryansanthemum till sunday.
