Unseasonal rains hit ‘desert cooler’ biz
   Date :25-May-2023

desert cooler 
 
 
Business Bureau
The traders in the business of desert coolers experienced one of their worst seasons and suffered heavy losses on account of unseasonal rains in the month of April. Unseasonal rains and cloudy weather conditions affected the business so badly that demand dropped by more than 50 per cent, said Aslam Opai, a manufacturer of desert coolers at Cotton Market while speaking to The Hitavada. Opai further said, “The desert cooler business is a seasonal business of four months and is entirely dependant on the weather conditions”. The manufacturers of desert coolers are also in gloom as they could not procure repeat orders from the wholesalers, and outstation customers. Now time has run out for the traders as the season is about to end. Currently, traders have huge unsold stock in hand which blocks their capital. Most traders felt that demand would be robust this season with a rise of more than 30 per cent, as compared to last years season. The Meteorological Department had predicted high temperatures and a longer than normal summer this year. In anticipation traders decked up their shops.
Opai further said that the season started off on a good note from February as there was optimism and hectic activity in the market. As the temperatures rose in March, the demand for desert coolers picked-up. But, weather changed cloudy and from April 10 unseasonal rains started resulting in demand dropping significantly in the market. Sanjay Topre of Navdurga Traders, Cotton Market said that he suffered heavily due to unseasonal rains that affected the demand by more than 60 per cent. This is a very challenging and the worst season after COVID-19 lockdowns that the traders are facing.
Topre further said that the desert cooler manufacturers at Cotton Market are going through a rough patch. Most traders are left with huge unsold inventory and stock. Workers are lying idle with no work on hand. “People would defer buying desert coolers this season as from next month in June the rainy season would start, leaving the traders devastated”, Topre added.