India, Oct. 2 -- Marigold flowers, an essential part of festive decorations and rituals, are in huge demand across the city on Dussehra, which is celebrated today. However, this year's celebrations are coinciding with a sharp dip in supply, as heavy rains across Maharashtra have damaged large portions of flower farms, leading to a significant spike in prices.

Raghunath Shinde, a flower farmer from Junnar, said, "This year's unseasonal and heavy rainfall destroyed nearly 60 per cent of my marigold crop. The flowers that survived are either wet or damaged, which fetch very low prices. Only a small portion of good-quality flowers remain, and those are being sold at higher rates."

"For farmers like us, the losses are huge. We wait for this ...