Kolkata, Oct 20 (IANS) The price of red hibiscus, an essential commodity for the rituals of the Kali Puja festival, has shot up almost five times in the retail markets of Kolkata on Monday, when the auspicious occasion coincides with Diwali.

A garland of 108 pieces of red hibiscus is selling between Rs 150 to Rs 200 in the retail markets, depending on the locality where the market is, up from around Rs 25 to Rs 30 even a week back.

The price of a garland of 1,008 pieces of red hibiscus, which is mainly sold on the occasion of Kali Puja or during special occasions, this year is really pinching the pockets, with the price of the item having almost doubled from what it was in the previous year.

On Monday, a garland of 1,008 pieces of red hibiscus was selling at between Rs 600 and Rs 700, against a maximum price of Rs 350 last year.

In most retail markets in the city, the sellers stopped selling individual pieces of red hibiscus on Monday. A local flower retailer from Gariahat Market in south Kolkata, selling individual pieces of red hibiscus, will be at a loss than if the flower is sold in garlands, since the price of the latter is a combination of the price of the flowers and the charge for weaving the garland.

“Generally, the price of red hibiscus rises a bit on the occasion of Kali Puja every year. But this time the prices are higher than the previous years because of the untimely heavy showers before the festive season that resulted in loss of huge stocks of flowers,” a retailer in Kasba market, also in South Kolkata, said.

The prices of not just red hibiscus, but almost all varieties of flowers used in Puja rituals, were exorbitantly high in the retail markets of Kolkata on Monday.

While saffron marigold was selling between Rs 180 and Rs 200 a kg, the same for yellow marigold was between Rs 210 and Rs 220 a kg on Monday.

A piece of lotus was sold between Rs 20 and Rs 25 on Monday.

–IANS

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