Flower prices nearly double as demand rises in wedding season, generating turnover of over a crore

PUNE: Flower prices have almost doubled thanks to the ongoing Indian wedding season, generating a daily turnover of over a crore in markets such as Gazipur in New Delhi.
“Flower production is naturally less during winter when demand goes up due to weddings. The price of a bunch of gerbera, the most used cut flower for wedding decorations, has increased from Rs 20-30 per bunch before the starting of the wedding season to Rs 60 per bunch of ten flowers now,” said Shivaji Bhegde, president, Talegaon Floriculture Association.
Talegaon is one of the major hubs of floriculture in Pune, known for rose exports. Due to wedding demand, the retail prices of cut flowers like roses and gerbera have increased by up to Rs 5 a stem. Maharashtra and Karnataka were main flower suppliers to north India for a long time.
However, local supplies have gone up due to an increase in floriculture acreage in sub-Himalayan states like Himachal Pradesh thanks to the efforts of National Horticulture Board. Akash Kirpal, proprietor, Delhi-based Flower Décor, said the demand for flowers like carnation used in wedding decorations has increased from the first week of November.
“However, due to cold weather, carnation production in main supplier Himachal Pradesh is less leading to a 100% increase in prices.”
Of flowers used in wedding decorations, Indian varieties account for 80% while the rest 20% are imported from Australia, New Zealand and Thailand.
According to sources in flower trade, the daily turnover in main flower markets like the Gazipur market in New Delhi crosses Rs 1 crore during the peak wedding season.
Despite the increasing spend on flowers during weddings, flower traders are worried about the growing use of artificial flowers.
“The overall demand for flowers was less in the current wedding season which is about to get over. We are now looking forward to weddings that will take place between January 15 and March, which may see better demand,” said Ajabsingh Chaudhari, president, Gazipur flower market.