The market is buzzing with activity. The competition is hot. In one corner, you may find orange and yellow marigolds selling for Rs. 200 a kg, but walk to the other end and it may cost you a little lesser at Rs. 150 a kg. Roses sell for Rs. 400 a kg, while shredded rose petals cost about Rs. 300-350 a kg.
Flowers have arrived in tonnes in the market giving the Onam sales a variety of hues.
With the demand going up every year, the traders are making a killing with soaring prices.
For the roadside flower sellers too, who have come in hordes from Coimbatore and Salem, the ten days from Atham is bonanza time.
However, for Murugan who has brought his wife and brother along from Salem for the ten-day flower sales here, trade is yet to catch on. It is the fourth day today, he says, but sales have not been as expected. He believes sales will pick up in the coming days. Rain too has been a dampener, he says.
An assortment of flowers weighing about 250 g sells for about Rs. 50. That perhaps is the smallest unit of sale for most roadside sellers.
It is pookkalams and the décor for various Onam-related functions that bring in the larger trade. About two to five kilograms of flowers are required for an average-sized pookkalam .
Onam celebrations will be held in various offices in the city, which translates into sale of tonnes of flowers. There are also a number of pookkalam competitions held in connection with the festival.
The roadside sellers take the load of demand off the regular flower traders, who cater to the heavy demands of the wedding season. It is big business for the small and the big traders this season.
