Diwali shopping sees 20 to 30 per cent decline due to rising dry fruit prices

In Rajkot, as dry fruit prices soar around the Diwali festival, a 20 to 30 per cent decline in purchasing has been observed. Generally, there is heavy demand for dry fruits in the market four to five days before Diwali, but this year the situation is different due to stock market investments, liquidity crunch, and other factors. According to a report by Sandesh, water transport has been affected due to the war between Iran and the US, leading to lower arrivals of dry fruits.

Hiteshbhai Solanki, a wholesale dry fruit trader from Raiya Road, stated that there has been a 20 to 30 per cent decline in market purchases. As people are facing a liquidity crunch, they are putting a brake on dry fruit purchases, although there is hope that buying will increase one or two days before Diwali. Due to rising prices, the quantity of dry fruits in gift boxes has also decreased. In the market, new items like pista ladoo, demand for masala cashew, and besides S.P. almonds, stocks of Nav Badam are also being seen. After a long time, the arrival of Afghani figs has started, and the crop is good in king size.

On the other hand, due to Diwali cleaning, it has become a time of earning for scrap traders. According to a report by Sandesh, income from scrap in Rajkot has increased by approximately 30 per cent compared to normal days. There are approximately more than 2500 scrap collection centres in the city, where on average 3 tonnes of scrap is collected every month. This volume has increased as people are removing items from homes and offices. To dispose of this scrap, it is sent to factories located in Morbi, from where it is recycled and reused.