AHMEDABAD: Umbrella manufacturing and trading in the state has taken a huge beating due to the pandemic. This is the second consecutive year that the segment has been hit because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Umbrella manufacturers and traders say that with the delayed monsoon in most parts of the state, sales of umbrellas have been further hit. There are about 20 to 25 umbrella manufacturers in the state which had a combined turnover of around Rs 25 crore prior to the pandemic.
Kalpesh Dabgar, 47, a manufacturer of umbrellas in Ahmedabad said that while umbrella production was almost negligible last year, this year too, only about 30% of umbrellas have been manufactured. “Schools and colleges are closed and people have been working from home. Moreover, there has been a delay in monsoon as well. All these factors have hit umbrella sales hard,” said Dabgar.
Most traders purchase umbrellas from manufacturers between March and June. Jayesh Dabgar, whose family has been trading in umbrellas for many decades, said that umbrella sales in the retail market are almost zero. “Last year, the total season failed. This year, the second wave was at its peak when traders normally purchase umbrellas from wholesalers and manufacturers. And to make matters worse, existing stocks are not getting sold because the monsoon has got delayed,” Jayesh said.
