Fruit, flower prices prick this festive season

BANGALORE: With a day to go for Ayudha Puja, fruit and flower prices in Bangalore have hit the roof. Fruit rates have soared by a good 25-30%, and they are expected to shoot up further till Friday. Vegetable prices, thankfully, aren’t escalating as fast.
While the demand for flowers and fruit is very high this festive season, there hasn’t been bulk supply.Floods in Kashmir have only worsened the situation. With production hit up north, supply is taking a beating down south, automatically pushing up prices of commodities considered essential during festivals.
Price charts at KR Market and Russell Market are giving consumers the jitters; traders say the rates are expected to escalate further during Diwali.
“Apple and pear production in Kashmir has been badly hit due to floods, because of which we haven’t had any supply from there. We are left with no option but to import these fruit. Obviously, the prices had to go up,” said Mohd Idris Choudhary, general secretary, Russell Market Traders Association. There is a 15% rise in the rate of dry fruit too. Though Kashmir was a steady supplier of walnut (akhrot), city traders have to look elsewhere to replenish their stocks this season.
Traders hope the prices will go down soon after Dasara, with the next surge expected during Diwali.
POOR SUPPLY
Prices are likely to come down soon after Dasara. However, it’ll only be a temporary relief as flower prices will soar again during Diwali. The supply hasn’t been up to our expectations, and this reflects in the high prices
G M Divakar | president, Bangalore flower merchants’ association