In peak season, flower merchants pluck loss

LUCKNOW: The 'Sahalag' or

wedding season

this year is not as rosy as previous years with business dipping more than 50% in the city's flower market after demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. With customers cutting down on use of loose cash, vendors are in for dismal sales. Unsold flowers are drying or getting thrown away. Flower growers on the other hand are ending up selling off their produce at throwaway prices, in a season where business otherwise is blooming.

"Business has been down since November 9. In the morning, I bring my regular 10kg flowers to sell but by next morning, they dry up and have to be discarded," said Raja, a retailer in Chowk's

Kanchan market

. Another retailer Samiullah Khan said, "From 'jaimaal' to decoration, business is usually to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh but this time it has come down to even less than Rs 50,000." With no flower vendor accepting old notes, customers are being sent back. "Who will take these notes from us," questioned Mohammad Abdullah, a wholesaler. "If we stand in bank queues, who will manage our business? After a day, when the flowers have dried up and cannot be used again, we have to dump them in the canal," he added.

For growers too, days are grim. With flowers already blossomed, they have to sell off their produce for as low as Rs 2 for marigold that earlier sold for Rs 70-80 per kg. Rose is selling at Rs 50 per kg instead of the regular Rs 200 per kg and chrysanthemum at Rs 40-50 per kg instead of Rs 200-250.

In the phoolon wali gali, sahalak days were when Mujeeb, a flower decorator would not sit idle till his shop closed, to the point of not getting time even to eat. "At least 10 orders were regular, but now even one is hard to seek," he said.