Shankarapura jasmines record max price

Shirva: There has been a sudden record rise in the price for Shankarapura jasmine consequent to the rise in the demand for the flowers and the price has reached to a maximum of Rs 1,250 for an ‘Attige Katte’ on Sunday Dec 16^th. The back to back celebrations and ‘Dhanu Sankramana’ are the reason behind this rise.

Last month, the price fixing centre revised the pricing for Shankarapura jasmines in case of a shortage and fixed the attige price at a maximum of Rs 1,250. After this, this is the first time that the price reached the milestone of Rs 1,250 on Sunday. On Saturday, the price for the same was Rs 850.

Since it is the winter season and due to disease, the jasmine flowers are getting infected and producing less flowers. Since this is the period of festivals, religious programmes, fairs and celebrations, the demand has increased but the supply has been constricted.

On the occasion of the increase in the demand for the flowers and though there is a sufficient supply of the jasmines to the market, the merchants have created an artificial state of lack of produce and hence artificially inflated the price. When there is a drop in demand the price of an attige will fall to as low as Rs 70 and even then there are no buyers.

“The price of the jasmine are fixed based on the demand. Since there is a lack the attige price as reached Rs 1,250,” said Anne Shetty Shirva Padavu, jasmine merchant