KOCHI: After many tragedies and back-to-back dull business seasons owing to the Covid pandemic, Kochi’s trader community is not seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Though the government eased lockdown restrictions and cancelled the weekend curbs to allow more business, traders are staring at a bleak future.
The after-effects of skyrocketing fuel prices persist in the market, say the merchants of Broadway and Ernakulam markets.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult to continue with the business. Though lockdown restrictions have been eased, the high prices of essential products have forced many customers to cut down on shopping. As nobody has consistent revenue to shell out, we are setting reasonable offers and discounts to attract maximum buyers these days,” said Raju V L, a vegetable seller at Ernakulam market.
Shop owners also condemn the unwarranted interference by police officers. “Though we agree that the police are doing their best to contain the pandemic, their current actions are depriving us of revenue even more. Despite the cancellation of RT-PCR/vaccine certificate mandate for visiting shops, several police officers are constantly demanding vaccine certificates from customers. This drives most of them to supermarkets that offer door delivery services,” said another merchant who wished to stay anonymous.
Textile shop owners have been hit the worst. “Covid has upset all our plans. We have restarted operations with a bunch of discounts. But buyers are still scared to step out of their homes. I have personally known several families who decided to shop their Onakkodi online this time. We are clueless about the future,” said Mubasheer T, a shop owner at Broadway market.
Not so flowery
The street vendors who sell flowers are also feeling the heat. “We have been in this business for a decade now. This year is the worst for us. Due to Covid, no large-scale festivities are happening in Kochi. Our major customers, including schools and colleges, are closed since last year. We stacked up the flowers imported from Bengaluru hoping that families will come out to celebrate Onam, putting an end to our Covid blues,” said Benny V, a vendor. Echoing similar sentiments, Palanivel M, another vendor, pointed out that low sales are also due to the skyrocketing prices. “With the fuel price hike, the transportation charges have also gone up. Flowers come from places like Salem, Dindigul, Hosur, Madurai and Coimbatore. Besides, farming was also disrupted due to the pandemic. Many farmers were forced to throw away their yield due to lack of demand,” he said.
Prices of flowers such as rose, jasmine, lotus etc have tripled.
“We used to sell marigold at Rs 50 per kg. Now, they are priced at Rs 150 per kg. Similarly, jasmines which were sold at Rs 250 per kg are now being sold at Rs 1,500,” said John P, another merchant.
Schools celebrate online
Kochi’s schools have also opted for online celebrations this year. Other than for few children who play Mahabali or other characters who will be going to schools, the celebration will be fully confined online. “We have organised the celebrations on Zoom. Though we were forced to cancel all events in 2020, these celebrations are a huge relief for kids. Apart from the interactive session, we have also set up a common flower carpet using flowers sourced from the children,” said a teacher of St. Mark’s public school, Fort Kochi.
Price hike plays villain
Many vendors claim that the high price of fuel and essential commodities is yet another reason for a dull Onam season. As nobody has consistent revenue to shell out, we are setting reasonable offers and discounts to attract maximum buyers these days,” said Raju V L, a vegetable seller at Ernakulam market.