Rourkela: Flower merchants are happy, as the flower business is buoyant this year with Steel City Rourkela and its adjoining areas bracing up for the festival of lights. Preparations are over to cash in on the high demand and the sales are likely to go beyond Rs 2 crore in just two days. In view of the demand, some merchants had stored flowers in big cold storages in Kolkata and the goods arrived Friday evening.
Others had kept their product in local cold storages in the industrial estate area here. Prakash Ray, a flower merchant here, said, “I had kept my flowers in Kolkata and the goods have arrived. It will be convenient for me to bring the flowers in the morning of Diwali as the flowers will remain fresh.” Another merchant Manohar Samal said, “I procure flowers from Bangalore and Kolkata. The market is always very volatile. Only the quantity and price of procurement give you the actual price for the day.” Adding to Samal, another seller Viki Kumar said, “Don’t forget to add `6 per kg as storage charge.” On a normal day, the city generally requires four trucks of flowers.
However, to meet the demand during the festival, more than fifty truckloads of flowers will be put into the market, they said. The demand is met by importing flowers from Bangalore and Kolkata apart from what is produced locally. “The tribals have become aware of the demand during this season and they are also producing marigolds in good quantity,” said Samal. “This year, marigold garlands’ prices will definitely go up during these two days. We can smell that looking at the query from the retailers,” said Bijaya Samant, another merchant.
Meanwhile, special arrangements have been made like every year, for the firecracker sales. Shops have been erected in open grounds, at Melana Padia, and other areas like at Plant Site and Power House Road. “This is being done as per the order of the administration,” said K Ramesh Rao, a cracker seller. This arrangement is being made because of the fire tragedy that struck Rajgangpur a couple of years back. “We have asked for stationing a fire tender at every selling point,” said another seller.