Although they arrived at the annual Kadalekai Parishe (groudnut fair) in the hopes of making profits, the groundnut vendors at the extravagant cultural fair reported that they saw a dip in business this year. The Parishe was formally inaugurated on Monday, but Bull Temple Road was thronged by visitors during the weekend.
Rajaram, a groundnut seller from Ramachandrapura, said: “This year’s profit is significantly lower. While last year I earned ₹5,000, this year I am struggling to even make ₹4,000. I bought groundnuts from the farmers for ₹160 per kg and selling them at ₹50 for 200 gm.”
Lakshmi A., vendor from Mallasandra, said: “I am selling groundnuts at ₹50 per litre; the price has remained the same as last year. People come here for the Kadalekai Parishe but indulge more at food stalls and buying clothes. Groundnut sales have not picked up this year. I anticipated this event for a month, but the profit falls short of last year’s.”
However, the customers have their own problems with purchasing groundnuts at the fair. S Nagaraja, a 73-year-old resident of Jayanagar, said: “Most of the good groundnuts are taken by the oil companies and different manufacturers. This is why people are hesitant to buy groundnuts from vendors.”
Apart from a dip in business, groundnut farmers, many of whom had come to the Parishe to sell their crop, said that the lack of rainfall this year also affected the quality of the groundnuts. Along with farmers and sellers from Karnataka, the fair also had farmers from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
