Non-availability of Chinese products combined with the coronavirus scare has hit the aabir sales this year as the prices of Holi essentials increased sharply. However, there is a significant demand for herbal ‘aabir’ (powered colours). The retailers at Burrabazar are still hopeful that sales may pick up over the weekend as several new models of water guns, wigs, masks and colours have flooded the market.

“The sales of water-colour have sharply declined as there are few takers this year due to coronavirus scare. However, the herbal scented ‘aabir’ with a variety of fragrances such as orange, marigold, lavender, strawberry are selling like hotcakes. As the China-made ‘pichkaris’ have vanished from the markets, we are only selling Indian-made products this time which has resulted in the rise of prices. But new items like Spiderman, Captain America, Avengers, Super Bheem ‘pichkaris’ are drawing the customers,” said Raju Saha, a vendor at Kalakar Street.

Pradeep Sonkar, who has put up his stall at Cotton Street since Monday, was disheartened with the dismal sales. “The customers are only looking for aabir. As locally produced items are priced higher than their Chinese counterparts, many customers are unable to purchase them. I have stocked up my stall with all varieties of pichkaris, headgear, water-balloons, masks, paste colours but till now most of the items remain unsold except for the organic colours,” said Mr Sonkar.

The stall of Rajesh Prasad was brimming with customers, but most of them avoided anything tagged with ‘Made in China’ label. “Customers cannot be blamed as they are wary after the outbreak of coronavirus. Packets and pots of herbal colour selling at Rs 20 have saved my business. Otherwise, the sales have halved compared to last year,” said Mr Prasad. However, he informed that the demand for masks, wigs, hair extensions and other Holi gear remains the same.

Expressing the hope that the sale of organic colour would offset his losses, Raj Mali, a vendor selling loose organic colours at Purushottam Roy Street said, “The sales of water-colours have been dipping consistently for the last three to four years, and as customers have become more conscious regarding their choice of colours, it is hardly surprising that sales of aabir will pick up like never before. Loose fragrant aabir was being sold at rupees 100 to 300 per kilogram depending on its quality.

Colours made of flower petals and other organic materials were selling rapidly at Jadu Babu Bazar. Sparkling colour bombs have also caught the fancy of shoppers. Colourful water pistons, fun goggles with pichkaris are a big draw with youngsters Vendors selling the Holi merchandise at Lake Market spoke about the dip in sales at a time where people are scared because of coronavirus spreading in the country.

Tarun Saha, a shopkeeper selling Holi products said, “The sales this year have been hit mainly of any China-made products. We have experienced a sales drop of around three to five per cent but hopeful that it would pick up.” Another shopkeeper in the market echoed the same thought but said his drop in sales was more than fifteen per cent.