BENGALURU: Amid the severe water scarcity crisis in the city, the cost of banana leaves has surged by Rs 3 to Rs 5 while sellers are also witnessing a sharp rise in the sales of disposable plates. The sellers in Malleshwaram report a surge of over 30% in sales as more people in the surrounding areas resort to a costly solution to cope with the city’s poor state by opting for banana leaves and disposable plates to minimize water usage.
Neelamma, who runs a business in Malleshwaram’s 10th cross, said that she had not experienced such robust sales for a long time. “The last time we had such a good sale was around Onam. Previously, the banana leaves were priced between Rs 6-8 per leaf, varying by size. However, for the past month, we have been selling a leaf for Rs 9-13 or at Rs 70 for a set of six leaves.”
Over the past six months, our sales have been limited, they only surge during festivals and bulk purchases during functions or weddings. However, now people are using leaves as plates as part of their daily routine, Neelamma added.
Karupaswamy, a vendor who sells areca leaf cutlery and banana leaves in 16th Cross in Malleshwaram, told TNIE, “Since mid-February, we have been witnessing an uptick in sales for disposable of areca leaf plates and even banana leaves. Despite the spike in prices, customers are willing to purchase.”
Previously, we were primarily focusing on partnering with small eateries every month, selling about 2,000 leaves and over 200 sets of areca leaf sets of three different sizes. However, the sales have gone up, even though we are only targeting individuals and not eateries, Karupaswamy added.
Shekhar, a customer who also resorted to using banana leaf said, “Banana leaves were used by our family only during functions but now we have been using it as an alternative to a plate. Due to heavy reliance on water tankers in areas surrounding Malleshwaram and Rajajinagar, many families have transitioned to eating on leaves to minimize the use of water.”