Nipah outbreak: Fruit vendors in Capital feel the pinch

For Rajesh, who has been selling fruits  at Chalai market for the past seven years, the business has been dull ever since the pandemic outbreak and the lockdown.
A fruit vendor selling rambutan at Chalai in Thiruvananthapuram. He says there are not many takers for the seasonal fruit since the Nipah outbreak | B P Deepu
A fruit vendor selling rambutan at Chalai in Thiruvananthapuram. He says there are not many takers for the seasonal fruit since the Nipah outbreak | B P Deepu

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For Rajesh, who has been selling fruits  at Chalai market for the past seven years, the business has been dull ever since the pandemic outbreak and the lockdown.

“Business has been slowly catching up with more people getting vaccinated and the government allowing more relaxations,” he says. However, reports of the Nipah virus outbreak, which is attributed to fruit-eating bats, have started affecting fruit sales, says Rajesh. “People are showing reluctance to buy seasonal fruits such as rambutan and guava.”

Like Rajesh, many fruit vendors in the district have already started to feel the pinch. If earlier it was the Covid scare that kept customers away from markets, now it is the Nipah virus scare, they say. Customers are assuming that the bats could have contaminated the fruits they are selling and refrain from buying them. Vendors say only fruits such as rambutan which are procured locally, are not finding any takers. While the fruits such as apples, grapes, oranges are being sold as usual.

“Rambutan is priced at Rs 140 per kg but its sale has gone down ever since the news broke. However, people are buying other fruits such as oranges, apples,” said Jaleel S, a fruit vendor and district member of the Vypari Vyavasai Ekopana Samiti, Palayam. He adds that many vendors are adopting new methods to keep the fruits fresh.

“Though we ensure the quality of the fruits, many are showing reluctance to buy fruits which have a higher probability of getting contaminated by bats. Though only the sale of rambutan is affected now, we don’t know how the situation will turn out in the coming days,” said Jaleel. “The effect on the fruit sales due to Nipah virus can only be assessed after a week,” said C S Ratheesh, secretary of the Samiti in Palayam said.

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