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| Incessant rain has hit cracker sale in Berhampur. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy |
Berhampur, Nov. 1: Inclement weather and rainfall over the last three days has cast a shadow of gloom over the cracker trade here. Now, worried traders are keeping their fingers crossed and just hoping for a bit of luck.
“On an average, crackers worth Rs 70 lakh are sold in Berhampur every season. But this time, the sale is nowhere close to that figure due to the harsh weather,” said Inku Gouda, president of Sri Sri Balunkeswar Fireworks Traders Association.
“We are spending sleepless nights. Moreover, there are forecasts of heavy rain up to Diwali over the south coastal part of the state due to depression in the Bay of Bengal,” said Gouda.
“The traders have already invested a huge amount of money. We will incur heavy losses due to the inclement weather and rain. Unsold crackers are not refundable and trying to preserve them for the next season is risky. Now, only the rain gods can save the traders from distress,” he added.
Cracker traders of the city incurred a huge loss after major fire mishap gutted the wholesale cracker market on August 29. The traders then resumed their business on Dashami.
Forty-seven shop owners, who are the members of Sri Sri Balunkeswar Fireworks Traders Association, have opened their counters for selling crackers.
“We have purchased many fancy products from Sivakasi and Raipur, but in vain. Multi-colour shots including n-joi for Rs 2,700, symphony 50 for Rs 500, troy 25 for Rs 450, nightvision for Rs 1,500 are on display. Moreover, there are single shots including naya naya pyar for Rs 400, hot girl for Rs 450, lightning thunder for Rs 450 and mega dew kumpi for Rs 226,” said trader Rajendra Kumar Jena.
The sale reaches its peak 4-5 days before Diwali.
“However, this time, we have not been able to sell even half of the total stock due to the inclement weather,” said one of the traders.
Retailers from many districts including, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Boudh and Rayagada buy crackers from this market.
