Fruits, flowers costly on eve of Varalakshmi worship

Visakhapatnam: The prices of fruits and flowers have skyrocketed in many parts of the state on Thursday in view of increased demand for Varamahalakshmi Vrata (Shravan month puja), which falls this Friday.
Heavy rush was seen in the markets of Vizag, Vijayawada, Tirupati and a few other cities and towns in the state as thousands of people stepped out to purchase fruits and flowers for the puja.However, the high prices disappointed many buyers.
“There is a huge demand for fruits and flowers during the Shravan month as most women perform pujas during this month.
Owing to the Varamahalakshmi Vrata on Friday, the demand for fruits and flowers tripled on Thursday. Since the supply is lower that the demand, their prices have gone up,” said K Trinadh Rao, a vendor in Vizag city.
The vendor added that not only fruits and flowers, there has been a steep rise in prices of coconuts and lemons.
“Flowers that are usually sold for 250-300 per kg are being sold between 400-450 per kg currently. A few days ago, one kilogram of quality apples were sold at 350 per kg and now vendors are selling them for 450 per kg. This apart, good quality bananas which were being sold for 60 per dozen, now cost 90,” said M Radha, a housewife.
As the image of Goddess Mahalakshmi is decorated with a lot of flowers, jewels and other paraphernalia, there is a lot of demand for flowers and fruits, she added.
The recent heavy rains in many parts of Andhra Pradesh and other states drew a gap between demand and supply of some flowers and fruits. Some traders added that the prices will increase further in the coming weeks as some people will observe the puja on Aug 23. Moreover, Ganesh Chaturthi, which is considered one of the biggest festivals in the state, fall on Sep 7.
Meanwhile, a customer named N Sangeetha said, “The traders have deliberately increased the prices and have been selling for a high price citing the gap between demand and supply. One kilogram of oranges costs more than 200. This is quite unacceptable.”