Roses fail to bloom ahead of Valentine week this year

BHOPAL: Roses this year did not bloom in the city as much as they do in the build up to Valentine Week.
Florists in the city said that the demand for roses is very less as compared to previous years. What makes it more surprising, they say, is that there was little sale of roses on February 6 — a day before ‘Rose Day’ — which usually is the busiest day of the season. The prices however have gone up by 50 percent to Rs 20 for Wednesday and Thursday — keeping up with the trend.
Sunny Suman, a florist at Peergate area said, “This year the market is down by around 50 percent. We used to receive over a hundred orders but this year it has gone down to twenty.” Florists say that this year the wedding season has clashed with the Valentine week and therefore the flower growers find it profitable to sell their flowers to marriages. “This has led to a hike in prices. Earlier, we bought 20 roses for Rs 150 now they are being sold for Rs 250-Rs 300,” said Suman. Raju Meena, a florist from Bairagarh had similar complaints. “I had bought 2,000 roses, but looking at this year’s trend I doubt whether I will be able to sell all of them.”
Bhopal grown roses now more popular
For sale in Bhopal, roses were usually bought from Bangalore and Pune, but in last two years as many as seven poly-houses have been developed in the city. These fulfil the demand of roses in the city, keeping the prices in check. GS Raghuwanshi, a horticulture official said, “There are 10 poly-houses in the city now. The rose that are grown in these centres are not only sold in the city but also in Lucknow at high prices.”