70% drop in sale of arali flowers; Malayalees come with new replacement

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Reports said there is a drop of 70% in the sale of arali flower in the state. The major drop was witnessed after the Travancore and Devaswom Board banned the flower in prasadams and nivedyam.

There are also reports that people have stopped buying arali for functions at home and offerings to temples. A wholesaler in Coimbatore said that he used to deliver 200 kg of flowers to Kochi earlier but now is delivering only 20 kg.

The Malayalees have come with a new replacement for arali. Panineer rose (Rosa damascene) is now in demand. They are sold in 200 gm packets like arali sold in many places earlier. With the increase in demand, the prices of panineer rose and thechi (jungle geranium) have increased. Panineer rose, which was sold at Rs 70-120 earlier, has gone up to Rs 200.

Travancore and Malabar Devaswom Boards banned the flower after reports surfaced that Surya Surendran, a native of Haripad, died after eating the petals of arali flower.

Travancore Devaswom Board Chairman P S Prasanth said the decision was taken considering the concerns of the community. Cows and calves had died after eating the leaves and stems of the arali plant.