Flower prices in the capital city are set to head north on the back of a spurt in demand ahead of Puja.

Not only lotus, which is of utmost importance in Durga Puja rituals, but also the ubiquitous hibiscus (also called arhul) and aparajita will soon begin to pinch pockets.

According to mythology, Lord Ram worshipped Durga with 108 lotuses to defeat demon king Ravan. Since then it has been a ritual to worship the goddess with the flower. The 108 lotuses are offered to the deity during Sandhi Puja, which is performed when Ashtami ends and Navami is about to begin.

To keep up with the demand for the flower, florists in Ranchi are busy booking consignments from Calcutta and Bangalore.

'Today (on Thursday), a pink lotus costs between Rs 25 and Rs 30. But the price will more than double from Panchami. There is already a hike of Rs 4-5 per piece compared with the previous week,' Avinash Kumar Malakar, who runs a flower shop at Kutchery Chowk, said. The blue lotus is costlier.

Malakar said many florists dupe unsuspecting customers by selling kumudni flower instead of lotus at exorbitant prices. 'Lotus must have 108 petals. Otherwise it is just an ordinary kumudni flower, which is produced in ample quantity in Jharkhand. Lotuses aren't grown here,' he said.

The wholesale price of lotus at Mallick Ghat in Bengal is around Rs 7 apiece. Mallick Ghat is India's biggest flower market and Jharkhand depends on it for supply.

'This year, lotus witnessed a huge production. Therefore, there is no scarcity. Another positive factor is that the festival is in September against its usual schedule of October when dew starts affecting the flowers,' Narayan Nayak, general secretary of Bengal Flower Trader Association, said.

He said lotuses from Bengal were preferred because of their bigger size. 'The wholesale price of lotus during Ashtami and Navami is expected to be around Rs 12 per piece. For these two days we supply a minimum of 120 lotuses per pandal in Ranchi,' Nayak said.

He said heavy rains had affected the production of other flowers such as hibiscus and aparajita and led to an increase in their prices as well. A garland of hibiscus is currently being sold Rs 20 apiece.

'It is going to be shoot up to Rs 60 soon. The problem is that flowers are a perishable item and arhul can't stay fresh for more than five hours,' Manoj Kumar Malakar, who runs a shop on Kanke Road, said.

A garland made of aparajita flower is expected to cost Rs 50 during the Puja against Rs 20 now. However, the price of marigold will not fluctuate much.

Punam Horo, scientist at the horticulture department at Birsa Munda Agricultural University, said production of lotus was negligible in the state.

'Flower cultivation in Jharkhand has started getting the government's attention only recently. Some districts such as Ranchi, Hazaribagh parts of Khunti and East Singhbhum have a huge potential owing to low temperature. BAU along with the state agriculture department has planned to start an extensive drive to promote flower cultivation,' Horo said.