Gulawat: Harvesting on war-footing as lotus prices shoot up ahead of Diwali

Indore(Madhya Pradesh): These are busy times at Gulawat lotus valley, the main source of supply of lotus flowers to the city, as Diwali is just a few days away.

Ramlal Kewat one of the lotus harvester at the valley said that by August they started farming and by late October-November it is time to harvest.

“This year Diwali has arrived very early, but we have made adequate preparations and we will be able to meet the demand,” said Kewat.

He said that they supply lotus flowers at the phool mandi in Indore at the rate of Rs 2 per flower, which is the wholesale rate. Those who demand spot harvesting are charged Rs 3 per flower.

He said that the demand for flowers starts rising from Ganesh Chaturthi and remains till Diwali.

At present, they harvest around 20,000 flowers every season and sell them at nominal rates to traders. However, these flowers are sold at very high prices to the public as demand is very high during this period.

On average, the lotus bud prices in the market shoot up to Rs 20 per piece which is nearly 10 times the wholesale price.

For the harvesters, it is a seasonal job and they can earn for only two to three months a year and take up other jobs to make ends meet.