Flower sales bloom in Madurai during Tamil’s new year

Madurai: People are celebrating the Tamil New Year (Chithirai Vishu) with gaiety and enthusiasm today. On the weekend, Madurai residents thronged to the city’s flower market to purchase different floral varieties. The demand for jasmine was high, but its prices remained stagnant; it was around Rs 700 per kg in several areas due to a large supply. According to the traders, flowers such as mullai were sold at Rs 600 per kg, and the price of pitchi and marigold was Rs 500 and Rs 250 per kg, respectively.

Murugan, treasurer of the Mattuthavani Meenakshi Wholesale Flower Traders Association, said that the sales of flowers surged amid the festival. He further added that ‘about five tonnes of jasmine are being sold on normal days, and during the festive season it touches up to 7 to 10 tonnes. The sales of flowers on Saturday and Sunday broke all the records, reaching 9 tonnes.

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Jasmine farmer Maruthupandi said the weather was perfect for the jasmine harvest. “We had rain followed by hot sun, which gave us a good yield. This year, farmers were able to harvest around 10 kg of jasmine per acre,” he explained. He went on to say that despite satisfactory productivity, they didn’t get the reasonable price.“The rates of jasmine remained between Rs 700 and Rs 1,000 per kg, which was not an encouraging sign for the farming community,” he said.

However, the Tamil New Year has spread the fragrance of flowers in Madurai’s market, bringing colour and happiness to the faces of the residents. Despite the stable price of flowers, farmers have received a good amount of money; it should be more, and they are hoping to earn a huge amount next year.