Fruit sellers hit hard in Ramadan due to lockdown

Kolkata: Fruit sellers in the city have been hit hard during Ramadan as Coronavirus pandemic dries up business due to the ongoing lockdown to prevent the spread of the COVID-19.

"We are in a fix. Our fruit business is 95 percent down due to the lockdown. There are thousands of poor people associated with fruit business. They are the victim of the lockdown. We don't know what is the future of the fruit industry," said fruit merchant of Macchua fruit market in the city.

Macchua fruit market, the biggest wholesale fruit market in Kolkata, is a place where nearly tonnes of fruits come from different states via trucks specially for Ramadan.

"Every year we place orders for dates and watermelon for Ramadan. This year, due to lockdown trucks loaded with fruits haven't entered our market. Last year, one kg of mango was Rs 80. This year, it is being sold for Rs 60 because there is no customer. Except this, there is more than 60 percent reduction of customers," said the fruit merchant.