The escalating price of flowers is adding a tint of gloom to Pookkalam (floral carpet) across Keralam this Onam.

From flower vendors to city residents, who depend on flowers farmed in neighbouring States to celebrate Onam, everyone is worried about the rising prices of flowers. Yet, the spirit of Onam, like the mythical King Mahabali who comes visiting annually, rises above all adversities during the festival season. For a Keralite, no Onam can be complete without Pookkalam.

The street-side flower vendors in Kochi, mostly women from Tamil Nadu, said the rising prices of the flowers have cast a shadow over their hopes of making some additional income during the festive season.

“I have sold only flowers worth around ₹3,000 since I opened the stall on Saturday. Not many city residents seem to be keen on buying flowers,” rued Sahaya Mary, who sells flowers at at Palarivattom.

Jancy Mary, another vendor who placed orders for ₹50,000 this year, fears that she would incur losses. The prices of flowers have shot up in Coimbatore, she said.

It is mostly marigolds, which are sold at ₹200 a kilo, and globe amaranth (vadamalli), priced from ₹280 a kilo, that are the most sought-after varieties.

Sundararaj, who runs a large Onam flower shop at Ernakulam North, said the sales were progressing steadily. “White chrysanthemum is the costliest among the lots with a price starting from ₹400 a kilo.”

The flowers are brought to Kochi market from from Bengaluru in Karnataka, Hosur and Dindigul in Tamil Nadu.

Prices in Kozhikode have remained largely stable compared with last year, said sellers who source the flowers mainly from Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru and Gundlupet in Karnataka, and Dindigul.

“The business may improve once educational institutions close and people fully enter the Onam mood,” hoped Arjun Sooraj, a seller at Palayam, Vengeri and Vadakara.

The size of an average Pookalam spread in offices and commercial institutions could range anything between two to three metre in diameter and require flowers worth around ₹10,000. The Pookkalams come in different designs and patterns showcasing the traditional art forms to modern art.

“We bought flowers worth ₹7,000 to make pookkalam for the celebration at our office tomorrow,” said two young IT employees, who were coming out of a flower shop. The youngsters said they did not pay much attention to the prices as the pookkalam was an unavoidable ingredient of their celebrations.

M. Swapna, a resident of Palazhi in Kozhikode, noted that flowers were abundant in the market. Hence, there are no exorbitant rates as of now, she said.

Merchants in Kollam, meanwhile, noted that since Onam arrived early and the past two months witnessed a lull in sales, traders were left with little time to normalise inter-State arrivals.

“While prices for roses and white chrysanthemums are fairly consistent with last year, price of marigolds have gone up,” said Rajesh Ramaswamy, a merchant. The acute water scarcity in key cultivation hubs across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh has severely pinched supply lines, pushing retail rates for marigold and jasmine, he said.

Local cultivator B. Subith from Poovathur, who expects a 3,000 kg yield from his one-acre marigold farm, said that market rates will only truly settle once public festivities gather full steam. “Most Onam celebrations and large-scale events begin this Friday. Demand will peak then, and prices could rise further,” he said.

The Kudumbashree Mission has meanwhile facilitated cultivation of flowers on 102.65 acres of land under its ‘Nirappolima’ initiative to cushion consumers against inflation and to cut dependence on imported blooms.