Flower Prices Out Of Control
A recent report by The Times of India states that the price of flowers is accelerating with its festival season coming soon. As supplies dwindle for this sacred season, flower's value is increasing daily, and sometimes hourly .
Many of India's denizens are not able to order discount flowers and are forced to purchase through local retailers .
Purchases almost doubled in the Koyambedu marketplace on Thursday ahead of Varalakshmi Vratham on Friday. The sales will remain high due to Onam which is on Monday, and avani avatam and Gayathri Japam which are on Monday and Tuesday. Demand hits it's climax as the festivals begin.
"The flower price usually goes down by the evening. But today, we saw an increase in the price by the hour," said Loknathan, a flower vendor in Mugappair. Some temple administrators even said that the wholesalers refused to sell the usual quota of flowers. "We usually buy more than 100 yards of chrysanthemum and jasmine. Today, they did not give us anything more than 20 yards," said Saravana Subramanian, administrative officer of a Ganesha temple in Anna Nagar.
And while the effects of the festivals may only be felt in India, worldwide prices seem to be following the same line for a number of other reasons.
One of the top flower growing areas in the US is in the Northwest. It's moderate temperatures and consistent rain make for a perfect place to grow a large variety of flowers. But this year the weather didn't live up to expectations .
A strangely sunshiny April led to a wetter than average May and June, which created huge amounts of wasted flowers and bulbs.
One bit of good news for the industry as a whole; there aren't as many buyers as usual . While this may sound strange , an increase in buyers right now would create even higher prices, possibly dropping demand even further.
Discount flowers online seem to be the consumer's best bet for finding the best deal on flowers, with local farmers markets being forced to charge more in this low demand environment.
This flimsy arrangement can't sustain itself forever, something will have to give.