Economy

Fish caught in Maharashtra are not promoted enough in local markets. The local fish, considered to be superior in quality are exported for lower prices outside the country. Even restaurant associations refrain from purchasing these local fish and prefer to import lower quality fish such as the Basa. Why do we need to bring fish from outside when we have a superior quality of fish such as the local Tuna, Sakla, Ghol, Barracuda, Snapper etc, ask local fishermen. https://youtu.be/Ju5UJHvVxNU

Raj Rani, a 45-year-old household help residing in Kaimbwala, is a worried woman these days. Six months after COVID 19 hit the nation, her family income has halved and no new employment has come her way. “Earlier I used to earn Rs 10,000 to 12,000 per month, now it is down to Rs 6000 to Rs 7000,” says Raj Rani, whose case is typical of all labourers living at the margins of society. Her two sons, one employed as a driver and the second working with a local contractor, have also lost their jobs. As has her husband Ram Rattan,…

Pic: Pixabay.com Renuka lives in a three-bedroom house in upmarket Koramangala. Her children go to a prestigious school. She can afford these thanks to her rich clients and her three paying guests who too are sex workers.  But with her children home since lockdown, she can no longer entertain clients at home. The paying guests could not afford the rent and have gone back to their villages. One of her clients died after contracting COVID-19 a week after visiting her. She got herself tested and was relieved when results came negative. Once lockdown eased, her clients began to pester her,…

The narrow lane of Koya Arunagiri Street in Royapettah leads to the house of R S Venkatesan, a seasoned potter, who has made Chennai his home. Although it is just 5.30 am, he and his wife Vasanthi V are already up and busy with their work. A potter’s wheel, a bunch of firewood logs, dried cow dung cake and other paraphernalia lie scattered around their compound.  Koya Arunagiri Street runs just behind the Royapettah Hospital in Chennai. Years ago, the entire stretch was known for the potters who lived here. Venkatesan informs me that over the years, many from the…

Ritu Kumar is a known brand for top class bridal and fashion wear. On September 5th, despite the pandemic and every other shop owner complaining of negligible footfalls and even less sales, the brand opened a new store on the ground floor in New Delhi's plush Khan Market, possibly the costliest pocket of real estate in the country. It was the owner’s decision, said Neha, one of the young sales staff. Ritu Kumar, incidentally, already has a store spread over the first and second floor in the middle lane of the same market. That store now sells traditional bridal wear,…

The scenes inside the Kumaran Silks store at T Nagar that went viral on Tuesday, leading GCC to seal the shop on grounds of violation of COVID protocol, would lead most to believe that shopping fervour in the run up to the festive season has defied pandemic blues. And that there has finally been a revival of cheer among retailers in Chennai after a long, lean season. Sadly, that is far from the truth for many small retailers in T Nagar and other shopping districts in the city. Take for example, Kadhar Moideen, a footwear store owner on Usman Road.…

Part 1 of this series looked at the scale at which farm produce is traded through the APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) system in Bengaluru. In this part, we explore how the APMC operates, and how successful the system has been. Yeshwanthpur APMC yard, spread across 85 acres, is one of the largest market places for farmers and buyers across the country. It is commission agents who play a key role in facilitating trade between farmers and buyers here, especially in case of perishable vegetables like onions and potatoes. The agents receive farmers’ produce, which is then auctioned in their…

Yeshwanthpur APMC yard is one of the biggest markets for onions in South India. Pic: Mohit M Rao In September end, M Dasappa loaded the onions harvested on three acres of his farm in Seegehatti in Chitradurga district, and headed towards the APMC yard in Yeshwanthpur in Bengaluru. There is a foreboding of disappointment in the trip this time around - he normally produces 300 quintals of onions; this time, heavy rains had led to losses and he is selling only 220 quintals. At the APMC (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee) yard, the truck unloads the bags of gleaming onions. Byaravishwara…

It’s been over four months since Abdul Sattar left Bengaluru, driven out by the lockdown.  “We will leave somehow, even if there is a delay,” he had said. That was when Cyclone Amphan was about to make landfall, on May 20. Still, Abdul and his friends were prepared to brave the long 1,800-kilometre journey home to Chak Lachhipur, their village in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal.  It had been barely a few months since Abdul had come to Bengaluru from Mumbai, sometime in January or February, he says. His wife Hamida Begum, 32, a homemaker, and their children, Salma…

Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers’ Co-operative Society, popularly known as Co-optex, evokes a nostalgic feeling among Chennaites. A saree passed down generations or a bedsheet that has been in a family for over 30 years are common memories attached to the brand. Since its inception in 1935, people's trust in Co-optex has never wavered and it continues to serve its loyal customers. However, after the 1990s, the brand started losing relevance and became less and less popular with the younger demographic.  In 2004-05, after Co-optex recorded a loss of Rs 85 crore, the management scripted a turnaround that brought the brand…