Chaitra sale now a distant dream for both sellers & buyers

  Biswabrata Goswami

(Statesman News Service)

KRISHNAGAR, 12 APRIL:  Chaitra Sale, the Bengali’s annual shopping festival ahead of Bengali New Year is now a distant dream to both sellers and buyers as the entire state is observing nationwide lockdown to contain Covid-19 infection.

Thousands of retailers and hawkers, who had stocked garments for selling in the season-end Chaitra sale trade, have started feeling the heat of the dreaded virus.

The month-long discount sale offered by the hawkers ahead of Bengali New Year attracts lakhs of people every year, but this time, all shops are closed and hawkers were not allowed to sit on the roadside near the markets due to lockdown.

This corresponded conducted a brief survey amongst the members attached to the domestic garment manufacture industry and hosiery trade at a few places in Nadia to get a sense of how the members were facing up to the current circumstances and how they were forecasting the period after lock-down was lifted.

An analysis indicates the significant crisis is brewing in the domestic garment industry and household hosiery small scale industry. Only a comprehensive support package from the government can cushion the potential collapse of these small scale industries.

“Our hosiery manufacturing industry is staring at close to Rs 16 crore per month in losses as production grinds to a halt amid the nationwide lockdown started from 25 March. We don’t know how we will manage the situation. There are around 20000 labourers attached with the industry and we are now maintaining their livelihoods at our own cost. If the situation persists for more weeks, it will be impossible to maintain our livelihoods”, said Tarak Ghosh, a resident of Anjanapara at Saktinagar in Krishnagar who runs a small scale hosiery industry.

In Saktinagar area alone, there are around 2000 small scale hosiery industry and all residents are attached with the industry.

“During Chaitra sale, I normally get orders for making garments and hosiery items worth of Rs 25000 per day, but this time, I have no orders as all shops are closed due to lockdown aimed to combat Covid-19 infection”, said Alok Saha, who also runs a tailoring industry in his house at Saktinagar.

Like Saktinagar, retailers and manufacturers of domestic garments and hosiery items living in Kalinagar are facing huge losses as production and sales have been stopped due to the restriction imposed for nationwide lockdown.

In Ranaghat, Chakdaha, Kalyani and Nabadwip, where lakhs of people rush to the markets for Chaitra sale, retailers and hawkers are facing the same financial constraints due to the impact of the lockdown.

“The North Bengal is an important market for Nadia traders. Since we depend majorly on Siliguri market, we are experiencing losses in business and are likely to face closure if the situation doesn’t improve,” said Govinda Saha, a wholesaler of hosiery and garment items.

He said 30% of the total stuff in the market is sent to Siliguri but to date none of the buyers has arrived this season. “If the situation continues for more weeks, our business will be in doldrums,” Saha added.