The Onam market has remained almost immune to the spirit of the season with little activity being witnessed on Sunday, the eve of Thiruvonam.
The city’s commercial hubs such as M.G. Road and Broadway remained quiet throughout the day and the traditional ‘uthradapachil’ or Onam eve shopping was without much enthusiasm.
The price of vegetables has remained under par with only a few items selling higher than normal rates. Drumsticks and carrots were in the higher range while okra, bitter gourd, French beans and ginger sold at a little higher than normal rates. Ginger was selling for ₹115 a kg in the retail market while okra and bitter gourd were selling for around ₹70 a kg. Drumsticks, a favourite throughout the season, was selling for about ₹67 a kg.
Broadway did not see much activity as people kept away due to COVID-19 restrictions. The lack of public transport facilities was one of the reasons why there was limited activity, said N.H. Shameed, president of the Vegetable Stall Owners’ Association.
He said the prices had not been affected by the Onam season. Vegetable supplies have remained steady. There is no shortage of any item even as the Onam rush tended to pick up momentum after the first two weeks of heavy rain in August.
K.K. Mohanan, who sells traditional clay pots and pans as well as ‘Onathappan’ said that there was sufficient demand to keep him in business. “We were not being allowed to sell products by the wayside for some time but on Sunday there was demand for our products,” he said.
Mr. Mohanan said that for most makers of Onathappan, production was limited due to the pandemic crisis, but that the demand was not as low as they had expected. Loss of jobs and limited economic activity had prevented a number of people from coming to the Onam market, he said.