Not so festive at the Ernakulam market

This Onam will be devoid of any celebration. The flood and its aftermath have bought the vegetable and flower markets to a standstill
The vegetable market at Broadway without the festive spirit  Melton Antony
The vegetable market at Broadway without the festive spirit  Melton Antony

KOCHI:As the state battles the aftermath of the flood, meagre sales have been recorded in the district markets on the eve of Thiruvonam. The sale of vegetables and flowers have completely crashed.

The scene at the Ernakulam market, on Friday morning, was gloomy. Vegetables from only a few numbers of trucks were being unloaded for wholesale traders. “We have only given a small order for stock,” said Ummer T K of National Vegetable Traders. “Other than a few hotels and relief camps, our sales have gone down. Shops of many vendors who we sell to have been submerged. We don’t expect the sale to improve even after a week.”

Another vendor said, “With the crashed sale, we have only stocked very little. But even this will go unsold.”However, the prices of pulses, beans and ginger have gone slightly up. “It is not a significant price hike,” said another vendor Anil Haritha. “But that’s the price in the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka markets. The prices of other vegetables are still the same.”

In the case of flowers, the lack of celebrations has brought the sales at the market to a standstill. Other than a few kilos of marigold and jasmine, not many flowers have been brought in. “We have asked trucks to not bring in flowers,” said Ganesh, a flower vendor. “All celebrations, even a namesake one, have been cancelled. This Onam is like any normal day for us.”

The scene at Paramara Road was not any different from the vegetable market. Unlike most years, there are only a few flower vendors. “There is absolutely no sale happening now,” said Sathish, a flower vendor.  
State president of the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi T Naseeruddin said, “The sales have been affected everywhere because of the floods. In Kochi, many shops were submerged. The sales in those shops that were unaffected have come crashing down. Small-scale shops and supermarkets are the worst-affected, with stocks coming in slowly and people dealing with the aftermath of the flood.”

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