In a politically charged Ranchi, marigold is the flower of the poll season. Picture by Hardeep Singh

It’s a double bonanza for florists in the state capital.

If the Assembly elections have pushed up sales of flowers and garlands manifold in the last couple of weeks, the approaching marriage season promises to keep the demand high over the next few months.

A rough estimate suggests that flower shops altogether are receiving orders for 300 to 400 marigold garlands daily in this season of high-octane political drama wherein every union, separation and reunion of poll allies is celebrated with much hype and pomp.

Each garland weighs 80-100kg and costs between Rs 1,000 and Rs 4,000, depending on size.

On an average, a prominent florist claims his weekly earnings have shot up to around Rs 45,000 from Rs 10,000.

Hari Malakar, the owner of a flower shop at Kutchery Chowk, said that the other day a BJP candidate ordered two 80-kg garlands of marigold. “We are using flowers imported from neighbouring Bengal, mainly marigold that don’t perish quickly. Local marigolds are smaller in size and don’t suit the occasion,” he said.

Another florist, Ramu Malakar, who runs a shop on Main Road near Sujata Chowk, said even single-layer marigold garlands were selling fast these days. “Each such garland fetches Rs 15-Rs 20 against Rs 10 during off-season,” he added.

To service this rising demand, 250-300 trucks of marigold are arriving in the state capital from Midnapore and Bankura of Bengal every day.

Flower sellers hope the boom in demand would continue as the political atmosphere in the state is likely to remain hot through the winter, at least till a new government was formed.

Further, with the marriage season beginning on November 20, city florists expect the market to flourish in the next couple of months.

According to Manish Singh, a wedding planner, a plush marriage demands flowers of various kinds worth Rs 50,000-Rs 3,00,000 depending on the family budget. “For mandaps, however, only marigold can be used. Decoration of a single mandap requires around 50kg marigold. We generally source them from Bengal,” he added.

Unfortunately, while florists are bullish about the present market scenario, farmers involved in horticulture in Jharkhand are unable to cash in on the boom.

Jharkhand State Horticulture Mission has been promoting cultivation of marigold in Ranchi, Seraikela, Ramgarh and Hazaribagh districts. But local marigold flowers are smaller in size and are generally not preferred for political or marriage parties.

Prabhakar Singh, state mission director of Jharkhand State Horticulture, said marigold grown in Jharkhand weren’t up to the mark, compared to those produced in other states. Local marigold is used mainly for small garlands and religious purposes.

“Around 300 small and progressive farmers are involved in marigold cultivation in Jharkhand. But they are lagging behind in competition due to lack of infrastructure and resources. We are trying our best to boost both quantity and quality of horticulture produces in our state,” he explained.