M’lore: Jasmine cultivators hit by Bharat bandh

TOT

Mangalore, 31 May 2012: The Bharat bandh against petrol price hike dashed the hopes of the jasmine cultivators to make a decent profit of their produce on Thursday.

 

The rates of the famed fragrant Shankarapura Mallige peaked at Rs 820 on Wednesday, eight months after seeing such levels. On Thursday, the jasmine prices hit a low of Rs 130 in the absence of transportation in the busy wedding season.

 

The rate of one ’atte’ of flowers, which had never crossed Rs 400 during peak demand in the recent decade, has touched a high of Rs 820 on Wednesday, like in October last year.

 

Udupi Mallige Belegaarara Sangha president Ramakrishna Sharma Bantakallu told TOI that the rates were peaking since a few days. It was Rs 400 one atte and it reached Rs 820 on Wednesday and has dropped down to Rs 130 on Thursday because of the Bharat bandh,’’ he rued.

 

About 800 jasmine flowers, depending on their size, are strung together using plantain stalk to make one chendu (a ball of flowers) and four chendus make one atte.

 

The more fragrant but less fancied, cousin the Jaaji mallige is also grown in Udupi region, but the crop is available only from July end to October. Sharma said: We hope that we get good prices at least from Friday onwards till the end of the wedding season (June 10).

 

The prices of jasmine are more volatile than the stock market. Mid-May, on atte was selling for Rs 45, then gradually went up to Rs 775 and stabilized around Rs 400.