Not a rosy affair

BENGALURU: Valentine’s Day may be just around the corner but things don’t seem to be too rosy for flowers. “Roses are the stereotypical commodity for V-Day. However, due to the pandemic, the sales have come down,” says Rosalie Montalegre, operational manager of House of Plush, a venture that sells flower boxes. She adds, “So far we have sold 190 boxes. We are also calling our clients and reminding them about gifting on V-Day. Since it is falling on a weekend, customers have more exciting options to explore.” 

According to farmers and sellers, improper weather conditions the last three months is the reason production of Dutch roses has come down while production of the local variety has increased. Farmers and sellers are now hoping customers will prefer the local varieties more. 

Karthik, a flower dealer, says, “Normally, during this time of the year, sales are high. This year is not the same. Even if we stock the flowers to sell them at a higher price on 12th and 13th, results will be limited as procurement has been little. People have realised that roses and flowers are not an essential commodity. They prefer to gift other items to be used regularly.” Sellers also pointed that till last year, people used to celebrate marriages with flowers but now flowers are looked at as a pricey affair. 

Farmers say it costs `Rs 40-45 lakh to grow roses in an acre of land as poly-housing is a huge investment. “Covid-19 made raising funds tough. The volume of roses has also come down. Normally around 3.5 lakh to four lakh roses are grown, this year it has come down by 20 per cent,” says Shivanna, a farmer from Chikkaballapur.

Other farmers from Doddaballapur, Kolar, Ramanagara and surrounding areas have been significantly hit. They say supply to Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and other metros has taken a beating too. MD of International Flower Auction, Bengaluru, Dr M Vishwanath, told CE that on an average, a stem costs `8, as on Feb. 10 against that of `10, last year. “In 2020, around four lakh flowers were sold, this year it is less than 3.25 lakh. There are 10–15 per cent less arrivals, when compared to last year. So since Dutch roses have become difficult, it is now to wait and watch if local roses will see a rise in demand this season,” he says. (With inputs from Sanath Prasad)