Ganesh idol prices see spike this year

Hyderabad: This year be prepared to cough up more for Ganesh idols. Increase in the cost of raw materials such as clay, painting colours and plaster of Paris (POP) are cited for the increase in prices of Ganesh idols.

"The cost of an 8-ft to 10-ft idol is around Rs 35,000, while that of a 14-ft to 18 ft idol is costing Rs 80,000 to Rs 1,50,000. The price of the idol is fixed depending on the amount of POP and different varieties of colours used," said Thilak Ganesh Murthy, an idol maker in Dhoolpet.

The cost of the idols increased this year due to 30 per cent hike in the price of POP, which is used for making idols. "The cost of an 8-ft to 10-ft idol is around Rs 35000, while that of a 14-ft to 18 ft is costing Rs.80, 000 to Rs.1,50,000. The price of the idol is fixed depending on the amount of POP and different varieties of colours used," said Thilak, Ganesh Murthy, manufacturer, Dhoolpet.

"Material cost of Ganesh idols increases every year, but this year the labour charges too doubled. The transportation charges also increased; hence, we had to increase the prices of idols to reach the minimum profit after sales," said Ram, an idol maker at Puranapul.

The prices of smaller idols which are of 1ft-5ft in height have increased from Rs 200 to Rs 300, the nano size idols are quick selling in the Rs 150-Rs 250 range. "Now-a-days, customers are not looking at the quality of work, but they just go for cheaper idols. Sometimes, customers bargain the quality product in the cheaper range, too, but we cannot sell without a minimum margin. Nano-sized PoP idols are fast selling and we are gaining profits from it. It become difficult to sell huge idols at a less price," explained Mithul from Dhoolpet.

"Every day, we make 50-60 pieces of nano size POP idols, fortunately we sell the complete stock at Rs 200 per piece by the end of the day. We see profits in smaller idols rather than in huge ones. For the last 15-20 years, my complete family has been into Ganesh idol making business, For the last three years, we have been noticing that small idols are more benefiting and this year, too, we target higher sales of little ones as they are higher in demand," said Rupa Bai, Dhoolpet.