Jamalpur Flower Market

Jamalpur flower market

The flower market at Jamalpur, Ahmedabad is the only market in Asia which exclusively sells only flowers. This 24 hour market has been around since 1990. This market started off in Fulgali Vistar where people sold flowers on the porches of their houses. There were only a few fixed shops in the gali. As the market flourished, there was an insufficiency of space which caused a lot of traffic, so the vendors came together and formed an association to raise money.

The association approached the Municipality to request a designated space for the market. The committee of the association consists of 7 members. The Municipality allotted the space in Jamalpur for a 99 year lease.

Though this is a 24 hour market, the maximum business takes place between 3:30 am to 8:30 am. There are 32 shops in the market and they import flowers from all over India, but most of the flowers are bought from within 40 km of Ahmedabad - Naroda to Biaad Gaam, Kheda to Bharuch, Sarkhej to Dholka. They either get the flowers through private cars or the ware of several vendors is brought together in a truck from different villages.

Since this market is old and well established, the vendors have long term relations with the farmers. The vendors live within 15 km of the market.

The rates of the flowers are decided in the morning according to their demand and supply, and so the prices fluctuate. The rates vary a little from shop to shop according to the number of customers in a day. At the end of the day, if the flowers a customer is requesting are sold out, the vendors buys the flowers from a near by shop and sells it to the customer. As the day passes, the prices also fluctuate according to the quality and quantity of flowers.

During the wedding season that is from November to February, the rates of the flowers go up as the demand is more. The variety of the flowers also increases. The customers come to the market and buy the flowers and, if needed, they deliver the flowers to their regular customers. The market also provides the facility of transporting the flowers in and out of the market. The people assigned either carry the flowers or load them onto carts.

Since, the flowers are perishable goods, to keep them fresh throughout the day, few of the shops use air-conditioned storage or store the flowers in buckets filled with water. If required, they store the flowers in a cold storage which is 10 km from the flower market.

The flowers which are not sold are collected at the end of the day and are disposed off and the AMC garbage truck collects it the next morning.

Outside the flower market

Outside the flower market, about 500 families living in the slum areas, buy the flowers from the market and make garlands out of them. They sell these garlands by increasing 10% of the rates. These garlands are sold from 4am to 10 am, this is enough to sustain the family so they do not do any other work. They only buy the flowers as per requirement, so there is no wastage.

The materials that they use to make the garlands are sold in the vicinity of the market itself. Before the market shifted to Jamalpur, about 15-20 families sold garlands in Fulgali Vistar.

As the market flourished, the families grew to the present number of 500 families and it is still growing. In some of the families, the children are getting education and moving to other businesses. One of the vendors stated that “bhanela kaam ave” (education is important), but in some, education is not given much importance and the children join the flower business.

Fulgali vistar

In the present day, there are still 4 shops in the Fulgali Vistar. They did not shift to the Jamalpur market because they did not want the old Fulgali to die out. The shops are 80-100 years old and were owned by the fore fathers of the present vendors. The vendors used to live above their shops but they moved out after the riots in 1969. The Modi community used to live near the shops but majority of the shops were owned by the Muslim community. The existing shops open at 7:00 in the morning and close at 8:00 at night. The shops bring the flowers from the Jamalpur market together in a rickshaw at 6:00 in the morning. The rates are same in all the shops but vary a little according to the time of the day. They sell loose flowers as well as garlands.

For storage of the flowers, they sprinkle water over the displayed flowers and the rest, they keep in ice-boxes. One of the shops also sells clothes as a side business. They expect the newer generations to join in the business as well.

The vendors in the Jamalpur market are from different communities but most the shops are owned by people from the Muslim community. The farmers who supply the flowers are mainly from the Thakore community.

One of the vendors said that “ekta ka udharan hai” (example of unity). The market that started with just a few shops and people selling flowers from their houses has now grown into a flourishing market, which also sustains the 500 families outside the market. They have symbiotic relationship and together this forms an entire community of people vending flowers.

Anil Bhai brings the flowers everyday from the Jamalpur market to The House of MG. Every morning at 9 am he changes the rose petals and re decorates it. He also makes flower chari (bouquet) for the guests who vists the hotel to welcome them.

Anilbhai

Use of flowers at The House of MG

Chari making