Ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi every year, there is a huge demand for all kinds of flowers which are used in the festival. Kilograms of flowers are procured each year and this time marigold flowers are among the most in-demand.
Due to the high demand, the price of marigold flowers has gone up. Last year, these flowers were sold at ₹120 per kg. However, this year, the rate has gone up to ₹300 per kg. This has happened partially because of the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown.
Also, due to floods and heavy rainfall, the arrival of marigold flowers in Mumbai’s markers has decreased by 70 per cent. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has a higher rate of influx of marigold flowers from Sangli, Kolhapur, Pandharpur and Junnar.
The marigold flowers are mainly planted between June and July. However, due to the lockdown, most of the farmers weren’t able to produce it this year. In addition, the cultivation in the riverside villages of Sangli and Kolhapur districts were damaged due to flooding.
During Ganeshotsav, many public mandals purchase marigold flowers and its sale is high on an individual level as well. However, not much response has come from the mandals as the celebrations are not being carried out on a large scale as before. Moreover, the issues with marigold flowers are that they don’t last long and some quality issues in the crop have also been reported.
Meanwhile, due to heavy rainfall, the inflow of cotton has also decreased. Along with this, the farmers from Mumbai’s surrounding areas bring their produce - Jasmine and Jaswant flowers which are required for the ‘pooja’. However, with local train services closed for the general passengers, the influx has deceased.
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