THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the state approaches its 10th day of lockdown, essential commodities at most shops in the city are dwindling with a number of FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) distributors stalling their supplies to retail markets. With almost all branded essential goods are flying off the shelves, shopkeepers are unable to restock the majority of the products. Most of the wholesale dealers delivering goods to supermarkets have stopped their operations. The flow of non-edible essential goods including hand wash, hand sanitisers, soap, diapers and sanitary napkins to the state has stopped completely.
It is learnt that the FMCGs are unable to meet the demand owing to low production due to a shortage of labour. Also, many FMCG manufacturers have temporarily suspended the production of non-essential goods in the wake of the lockdown. Nilgiris, one of the supermarket chains in the city, is unable to stack its own brand of grocery products since the lockdown. “Our trucks from Karnataka are not being allowed to pass the Tamil Nadu border. We are currently running the shops with existing stocks which are depleting fast. There is a huge demand for hand wash now but we will be out of stock soon as only edible essential goods are being allowed to pass through the borders, that too in small quantities,” said one of the executives at Nilgiris.
B S Rajan, another trader at Chalai Market, said that the companies have stopped delivering their products at the shops. “Biscuits, packet foods etc are not getting delivered. When we contact suppliers they are asking us to collect the stock ourselves. It’s getting tougher with each passing day,” said Rajan, who is one of the many traders in the market facing the issue. Another shop keeper at Kunnukuzhy said that they are struggling to refill stocks. “Some of the companies have stopped distribution.
When we contact the dealers, they ask us to go with a vehicle and bring the stock. Soaps, branded curry powders etc have stopped coming,” he said. The shutting down of restaurants and hotels has come as a huge blow to some of the wholesale dealers in Chalai Market. “The demand for some products has gone down as our consumer base is mostly hoteliers. We have landed in a fix because of the lockdown,” said Suresh, a wholesale dealer.