Prices of sugarcane, turmeric and other puja items flare up in Tiruchi

With people making a beeline to the markets to buy essentials and puja items for celebrating Pongal, prices of sugarcane, turmeric, and flowers have gone up sharply in Tiruchi.

With people making a beeline to the markets to buy essentials and puja items for celebrating Pongal, prices of sugarcane, turmeric, and flowers have gone up sharply in Tiruchi.

Most corners of busy areas and local markets are dotted with temporary traders stocking sugarcane, turmeric bunches, and other puja items. Though the traders had set up temporary stalls on Saturday, sales picked up momentum only on Sunday. Residents came in large numbers to buy sugarcane, vegetables, and turmeric bunches in markets.

The traders had sourced sugarcane, mostly from Thiruvalarcholai on Tiruchi-Kallanai Road and Thirukattupalli in Thanjavur district. Depending upon the quality, sugarcane was being sold between ₹50 and ₹80 apiece. Medium size sugarcane was being sold at ₹50. The canes brought from Thirukkattupalli command preference among the buyers as the canes are superior in quality.

According to traders, the price of sugarcane has gone up by 20%. A medium size sugarcane was sold at ₹40 last year. Traders attribute the price rise to short supply, rising transportation and overhead expenses.

“Sale of sugarcane is dull so far as many unemployed youths and seasonal traders set up stalls at many places. Hence, I sell sugarcane at moderate price,” says S. Saravanan, a temporary sugarcane retailer in Thiruvanaikoil.

The prices of turmeric bunches, flowers, and vegetables were quoted high due to heavy demand. There were seasonal traders, who sell mango leaves. While a bunch of turmeric bunch is sold for ₹20 to ₹30, a bunch of mango leaves was quoted at ₹10.

“We see prices of most of Pongal puja items have gone up sharply. If I had spent ₹350 last year towards buying puja items including sugarcane, flowers, turmeric bunches, this year it is ₹500,” says S. Selvakumar, a resident in Srirangam.