Rising rose price keeps lovers at bay in Chhattisgarh

Mounting prices and falling demand of Red roses on Valentine’s Day is adding to the florists’ woos in Chhattisgarh.

Most of the traders in the state in fact cut short the quantity of red rose that they ordered from Kolkata.

The flower supply in the entire state is powered by the traders in Kolkata-a twelve-hour run on rail from the state capital of Chhattisgarh. All the varieties of flower including rose is being transported from Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal. This year, the traders here placed less order for rose.

“There are two reasons for curtailing the order especially for the Valentine Day market,” florist Pavitra told Business Standard. First, the Kolkata traders had increased the price of rose and secondly, the youths here are showing least interest in offering rose, he said, adding that instead they are giving other gifts that could be preserved for remembrance.

According to florists in the state capital, the price of rose soared about 40 per cent as compared to last year. Pavitra said that price of rose went up to Rs 50 per stem from Rs 35 this year that sunk the market in this Valentine Day. In most of the shops, the stock was dumped as red rose did not find buyers.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government’s dictate to celebrate February 14 as “Parents Day” also did not go well with the traders in Chhattisgarh.

Most of the hotels wore a deserted look even as heavy police deployment in and around the hotels, coffee shops and malls prevented the couples to step in.

One of the hoteliers said that the heavy police deployment and intensified patrolling gave bitter taste to V-Day bash.

The business came down by nearly 50 per cent this year as compared to last year’s, he added.