With Diwali just a few days away, sweet sellers in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore have expressed concern over the increase in prices of raw materials.
Speaking to ANI, a sweet shop owner here said, "COVID has affected business, although we're receiving orders. Due to the rise in raw material prices, prices of sweets have also gone up."
He expressed hope of earning better this Diwali, despite fewer orders as compared to pre-pandemic times.
Hemant also said that the lack of a workforce is another cause of concern these days.
"Most of our workers returned to their hometowns during COVID peak... But things are gradually pacing up, hoping to make a profit this Diwali," he said.
The sweet manufacturers said that the business has dropped by 40 per cent this year, while the price of raw materials has increased by 30 per cent.
Meanwhile, markets across India witnessed heavy footfall on Sunday.
While the busy markets brought hope for better business this year, the flouting of COVID-19 norms remained a matter of concern.
Notably, even though the businessmen were happy with the footfall after the two years of loss due to the pandemic, several businessmen and vendors thatspoke to said despite good business this year, it could never reach the scale of pre-coronavirus days.
Diwali will be celebrated on November 4 this year.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor