Florists make brisk business during Navaratri

The florists have made a brisk business during the ongoing Navaratri festival when the flower trading reached its pick in Berhampur.
Durga Puja committees ordered flowers for puja and to decorate pandals, while shop owners and individuals ordered flowers on occasion of Dussehra.
Flowers like marigold, water lily, jasmine, China rose and amaranth (aparajita) are required for rituals in Durga Puja, said Bhaskar Mitra, a priest.
On Dussehra day, married Hindu women offer at least 10 varieties of flowers to the Goddess.
Besides community pujas, florists get order from temples.
"We supply loose flowers and garlands worth Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 every day to a particular puja pandal," said a florist.

"The cost of the garland for the deity varies from Rs 500 to Rs 1000," said Ch. Kailash, an official of a puja committee at Bijipur here.

A Srinivash Rao, priest of Sana Thakuari, one of the famous temples in the town, said they purchase flowers around Rs 1000 every day since start of Navaratri.
"We have ordered flowers of different varieties worth over Rs 10,000 to decorate vehicles and workshops," said Niranjan Mohanty, a local contractor.
"Since all the flowers are not available locally, we bring these from places like Rajmahendri and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Kolkata and some places of Karnataka," said general secretary of Ganjam District Flower Growers Association A Sridhar Verma.

Varieties like China rose and water lily, however, are met by the local products, he stated.
The demand and price of increase many folds during this time of the year.
The price of a single china rose, which costs about 50 paise in other time, now costs between Rs 2 and Rs 2.50.
Similarly, the price of a garland of marigold increased from Rs 20 to Rs 30.
On an average 200 to 250 quintals of flower sell in Berhampur during this period daily, he said.