Jasmine spreading fragrance in city

Mysuru Mallige The sweet smelling jasmine flowers are one of the joys summer brings with it, when the yield is at its peak, writes Gayathri V Raj

Yes, this is one of the joy summer brings with it as th

e season for the jasmine flowers has arrived.

If you enter the lane where the flower stalls are situated at the popular Devaraja Market, you are welcomed with the heady fragrance and for a change you would like to take a deep breath trying to arrest the sweet smell, at the otherwise stinking premises.

Prices down

The flowers which are sold at ` 350 and above all through the year, comes down to as low as `  60 to `  80 per kg.

Though these flowers have earned the nickname ‘Mysuru Mallige’ majority of the flowers are imported from our neighbouring state Tamil Nadu.

The wholesale traders become busy by the time it is 11.30 am with the jasmine flowers grown locally in and around Kollegal and Chamarajanagar start arriving.

From Tamil Nadu

Speaking to City Herald, Syed Anwar, one of the wholesale traders having stall at the Devaraja Market, jasmine flowers from Tamil Nadu starts arriving at the market at around 1.30 pm and the rates start fluctuating depending on the amount of flowers that reach the market.

Most of the flowers are from Erode and Sathyamangalam and are packed neatly in jute sacks and are mostly dumped on the bus tops and transported to city. Sometimes the growers themselves bring in their produce when the yield in bountiful and return home smiling.

The wholesale traders buy the flowers from the growers which in turn are sold in retail.
Some of the growers who have been supplying for years together have an understanding with the traders here and directly supply the yield and the payment is done according to their convenience once in a week or fortnight.

Garlands

One small jasmine garland that was sold at `  500 per piece during the month of November-December is now being sold at ` 80, which has brought smiles among the wedding planners as the month of May-June is said to be auspicious for conducting weddings.

Though there are many varieties of jasmine named Ambur mollai, Jaji malli and Suji malli, the Mysuru Mallige is the most popular one and also one of the products that has earned the GI tag.

It has also become a common to hear the retailers selling these flowers at ` 10 per 100 gms on the streets, which announces the people that the jasmine flowers have arrived for the year, which would continue for a couple of months till July, says Anwar.