Prices on a downward trend, but no festival cheer

With curbs imposed on public gatherings and places of worship owing to rise in cases, traders feel the pinch ahead of Sankranti

Sankranti, the first major festival of the year, is just around the corner. But the surge in COVID-19 cases — more than 15,000 new cases were reported in the city on Wednesday — and restrictions seem to have dampened the festive cheer. The State Government has imposed restrictions not only on public gatherings, but also at places of worship for Vaikuntha Ekadashi that usually sees serpentine queues at temples on Thursday and Sankranti on Saturday.

With prices of most of the festival essentials on a downward trend, traders hoped to make some good business. The price of flowers, sugarcane, groundnuts, avarekai, and ellu bella – integral part of the upcoming Sankranti festival – all seem to be at the lower end. But people don’t seem to be in the festive mood, lament traders. “Our business is not even half the usual we do in the run up to Sankranti,” said Shankarappa, who sells sugarcane in the city. A cane is selling in the range of ₹30 to ₹40.

Rashmi T, has been selling the customary ellu bella for over two decades at a shop in Mahalakshmi Layout. “We would easily sell over 600 kg of ellu bella every year. Many times, we have gone for a second batch of preparation. But for the first time in 2021, we were left with unsold stocks. So this year, we cut down to 400 kg. Considering how slow business is, we may not be able to sell even that,” she said. A kilo of ellu bella costs in the range of ₹300 to ₹350.