Surat: Farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu decorate their cattle with ‘chunari’ on the auspicious day of Pongal also known as Mattu Pongal— on the third day of the four-day festival celebrated in mid-January every year.
This year, the Pongal festival has come to the rescue of textile traders in the country’s largest man-made fabric (MMF) wholesale market who are busy supplying the ‘chunari’ used to decorate the cattle in the southern Indian states. Traders who are already reeling under losses due to Covid-19 imposed lockdown and economic slowdown, are hopeful that sales ahead of the festival celebrated widely in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, would reduce their losses.
Textile traders expect that the Pongal festival will generate business to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore for Surat’s textile sector in the form of saris, dress material and ‘chunari’.
Though this would be less compared to Rs 2,000 crore business that the sector does every year. After a dull Diwali and marriage season, Pongal seems to have has brought cheers for the textile traders.
Surat’s textile market is the biggest supplier of ‘chunari’ also known as ‘jhaaal’ used by the farmers in the Southern states to decorate their cattle during the Mattu Pongal.
AR Pandyan Nadar, a textile trader supplying ‘chunari’ to South Indian markets said, “This year the demand for ‘chunaris’ has increased compared to the last year. Last year, we sold about Rs 5 lakh worth ‘chunaris’ in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu. This year we have received orders to the tune of Rs 8 lakh.”
Market sources said that only ‘chunaris’ worth Rs 150 crore will be sold in the three south Indian states ahead of Pongal festival, besides dress materials and saris.
Rangnath Sarda, biggest supplier of ‘chunari’ and saris to South Indian markets told TOI, “The festival of Pongal has literally bailed out Surat’s textile business. We have received good orders from Southern Indian states including saris and ‘chunaris’ for the Pongal festival. The orders will be delivered latest by December 15 to the wholesalers in south markets.”
Lalit Sharma, another textile trader supplying textile goods to south India told TOI, “About 40% of our supplies to the southern states comprises of ‘chunaris’. Surat is the only market where the chunaris are manufactured especially for the Pongal festival.”