Empty flower baskets

KOCHI: The inflow of flowers to Kochi has hit an all time low with the Mullaperiyar issue creating a tensed atmosphere in the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border region. The shortage has worsened as it is already an off-season for flower inflow. “It has been a few weeks since the market has been experiencing an acute shortage of flowers. Although the season is the main reason, the Mullaperiyar issue has had an impact on the transportation of flowers. All of this has lead to an alarming increase in the prices of flowers,” said L Ramesh of Reshma Decorations, Kochi.Temples and marriage halls are among the worst hit as flowers are unavailable for decoration. “On normal days, we use Tulasi and ‘Koovalam’ leaves for decorating the temple premises and on special occasions, ‘Niramala’ decoration is done using flowers. However, during the past few weeks, the flowers are not only scarce but also very costly. The ‘Niramala’ alone costs almost three times more than it used to,” said Gokul Krishna Menon, manager, Shivakshetra Upadeshaka Samiti, Ernakulathappan Temple, Kochi. “Although there is always a shortage of flowers during this season every year, this time there has been around 100 per cent increase in the prices when compared to the same time in the past years,” he added.Cochin Devaswom Board officials stated that although flower shortage is normal at this time of the year, it is worse this time owing to the reduced inflow of flowers from Tamil Nadu. “There have been increasing demands from the temples asking for more funds towards buying flowers. The board is yet to consider it since the scarcity is set to continue for some more time because of the Mullaperiyar issue,” said a highly placed official with the Cochin Devaswom Board.Florists said that the issue is not only restricted to the quantity of flowers but also their quality. “Jasmine and lotus are seldom available now. The little quantity that is available lacks quality. Moreover these flowers are abnormally small. This is mainly due to the seasonal changes,” said A G Babu, proprietor, Pookkaran flower house, Kochi. “A couple of days back, our vehicle, which was carrying flowers from Theni, had to make a roundabout trip of 58 km as there were some issue on the normal route,” he added.The prices of flowers has skyrocketed during the past few weeks. For example, jasmine is priced above `600 a kilogram and a bunch of gladiolus costs over `270 against the normal price of `90 to 120.