Festival season to push up coconut prices

Deepak Bora,a wholesale trader of coconut at Market Yard,said,“The sale really picks up with the beginning of sawaan —from July onwards. We have really done some brisk business owing to Raksha Bandhan and narali purnima. From now till Ganpati Utsav,we have high demand for coconut all over the state and even in places like Rajasthan and Gujarat.”

He added that the usual sale is 400 bags,but in the last two months it has been about 650-700 bags. However,he said that in the last one year the price of a single coconut has increased by at least one rupee. “While a bag of 100 coconuts costed Rs 425-450 last year,the price this year is Rs 550. The maximum price of a bag is between Rs 950 to Rs 1000,” said Bora.

Nevertheless,hiked prices do not seem to be a deterant for citizens this festive season. Vibhavari Thakar,a resident of Kothurd,said,“My daughters are very fond of Gujjias and coconut barfis. Last year my daughter was not in the city during this time of the year,she,too,is very excited about the barfis.”

For fishermen,its time to go back to the sea again after the monsoon break. The fishing season begins after the ceremonial worship of the sea on narali purnima. Lata Pardeshi,a fish seller in Ganeshpeth,said the festival,though celebrated with much fervour in Mumbai,out here it is more symbolic.