PANAJI
The month of Shravan, which is full of festivals, brings a smile on the flower and garland making community in the State, this year the demand for local flowers, especially ‘Jayo’ has not picked up yet and the prices are still low. The otherwise flourishing Jayo sales have dipped due to corona pandemic restrictions, claim the flower growers from across the State. While Mardol is famous for the typical flower species in Jayo, the flowers are also grown in and around Ponda as well as Lolayem, Amone, Gaondongari in Canacona. "For the past two years we have been facing crises and there's no business," laments a flower-vendor from Ponda who comes down to Margao to sell her Jayo. The plucking of these delicate flowers and stitching them together in garlands is a tedious task, and those who do the job are paid Rs 15-20 to weave 1,000 buds. The flowers have a very short shelf-life, so if the garlands are not sold, they go to waste. The Jai planters in Canacona, used to sell their flowers in Karwar market, however, currently they are not allowed to cross the borders and hence their sales have dipped.
