Flower doesnt smell sweet as prices soar

UDHAGAMANDALAM: Want to gift a bouquet of flowers to your loved ones? You have got the timing wrong. Prices of flowers, especially jasmine, marigold and rose, have almost doubled in Ooty due to low arrivals from Dindigul, Sathyamangalam and Coimbatore. Not just that, the roses brought here from other district are sold as Ooty roses to tourists and locals.“The upsurge in prices is likely to persist till mid-January. Though Mysore Malligai is sold for low prices, the number of takers is less as it does not have the usual jasmine scent. Generally, jasmine and marigold are not grown in the hill district,” said C M P Raja, president, Flower Merchants Association, Ooty Municipality Market. But roses are a different matter. “Now, even roses from Coimbatore are passed off as Ooty roses to the locals and tourists. That is because the Ooty roses supplied by farmers are auctioned and the bidders are big players who do not supply to local vendors,” Raja detailed.Normally, a bunch of roses  is purchased from Coimbatore at a minimum price of `40. After transporting it to Ooty, the roses are sold for `5 each. That too in the name of Ooty roses.