GUWAHATI: As the pre-Valentine’s Day celebration kicks off with Rose Day, the customers are unhappy with the prices of roses which have skyrocketed because of Valentine's month.
The roses which are usually available at ₹20 or ₹30 at other times have skyrocketed to ₹40-₹50 per stick.
In Beltola and Ulubari, the red rose stick is being sold at a whopping ₹40 which is otherwise available for ₹20.
Talking to GPlus, a flower seller in Ulubari said, “The flowers are being flown in from Kolkata and since it’s Valentine's month we are also buying it at high rates, so we have to sell it for ₹40. Other times, it ranges from ₹20-₹30.”
Another flower seller in Phool Gali in Fancy Bazar said, “People are bargaining to reduce the prices but we ourselves are paying extra, so we cannot. This time, the prices have skyrocketed quite significantly.”
In Phool Gali, on any other month, the prices of roses range from ₹10-₹30, be it the red ones or the exotic peach, pink or yellow, the prices are almost kept at a constant rate. But come February, the prices have changed a lot.
The red roses even in Phool Gali which is a go-to place for buying flowers of every kind at a reasonable wholesale rate have also hiked.
The red roses are being sold at ₹40 whereas the pink, orange, yellow, and white are being sold at over ₹50.
However, the prices of roses which have been flown in from Bengaluru are priced at ₹20 but the sizes are smaller and the bunch is also comparatively lighter.
Satabdi, who went to Phool Gali to buy roses said, “The rates are too high. I thought of buying a bunch but now I think I can only afford 1-2 sticks.”
Another customer standing in the queue at an Ulubari flower shop said, “It’s quite a rush today. I thought of going to Phool Gali to get the flowers but then I heard the rates are quite the same there so I came here.”
This rise in the prices of roses starts at the beginning of the wedding season and reaches its peak during the month of February to celebrate the month of love.
Rose Day, every year, is celebrated on February 7. People gift roses to the person they love. However, it is not mandatory to gift a rose only to the partner.