With the lockdown and lack of inter-State transport severely affecting the business, silver jewellery manufacturing units here are hopeful that the COVID-19 crisis will end before Deepavali this year.
Silver jewellery manufacturing is a major business in Salem and over 1 lakh persons are involved in the trade. Silver anklets is the major product manufactured here on job order basis and the units supply finished goods to Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Lucknow and even to foreign countries. Silversmiths and unit owners lamented that their livelihood had been affected due to lockdown and they were pinning hopes on Deepavali orders now.
R. Selvakumar, who runs a manufacturing unit, said, “we were completely shut for over three months and we had to borrow money for day-to-day needs. The supply of raw materials has been affected and most of the units are operating to fulfil orders received during January.” He added that most units worked only for a few hours a day.
K.V. Chandrapal, president, Salem silver leg chain manufacturers association, said, “though the units have opened up, only 30% of manufacturing works are going on compared to pre-lockdown period. The wedding season is one of the major business period and it got affected during lockdown. Though businesses in places like Lucknow are ready to provide orders, we are not able to travel to collect raw materials or to deliver finished goods. Also, majority of labourers are from Maharashtra and most of them have returned to their native villages.”
He added that Deepavali would be the next business season and they expressed hope that normalcy would return by then.
The governments should allow business e-passes so that traders could travel.