Shankarapura jasmine price soars in festive season

Mangaluru/ Udupi: The famed Shankarapura jasmine, which normally retails for Rs 600 an atte (a local measure) in the festive season if there is decent supply, touched Rs 2,200 an atte on Wednesday.
The record high for the most perishable yet sought-after commodity, is because of high demand but low supply.
The flower, accorded a geographical indication (GI) status in 2008, sold for Rs 2,200 per atte, on Wednesday morning, while its Bhatkal counterpart, which is equally fragrant, crashed from Rs 1,600 to Rs 1,000 by afternoon, said B K Ismail, a wholesale merchant. Other than procuring the jasmine locally, Ismail gets chrysanthemums and marigolds from Hassan, Chitradurga, Mysuru and Tumakru.
Last year, the highest that the Shankarapura jasmine fetched was Rs 1,950. The high price also means fewer takers. “When it is available in abundance, and the prices are fair, a marriage party will purchase it for the whole family, say five to six attes. This time, I sold one atte to a marriage party, which will go to the bride,” Ismail said.
Marigolds aren’t cheap either. One kucchu, a local measure roughly equalling a 70-80-foot chain, was priced at Rs 1,500, as against Rs 300 on other days. Manjunath Patkar, a grower from Bantakallu in Udupi, said although the normal crop in the region yields about 10 attes, on Wednesday, he had enough for only four attes. It shows how badly the growers have been hit by the heavy rain. “Even with the high prices, it does not make economic sense, as untimely rain has damaged the plants,” he said.
Jasmine has high demand, especially in Mangaluru and Mumbai.
There are about 10,000 families engaged in jasmine cultivation in the coastal districts, extending from Kasaragod to Uttara Kannada. About 8,000 families are from the Udupi district. The lowest rate for an atte hovers between Rs 80 and Rs 100 in the off-season, and sometimes touches Rs 40 during transport strikes.