Fish, meat markets see large crowds ahead of weekend shutdown

At the Kasimedu fish market, Friday saw large crowds looking to stock up for the weekend. Despite earlier warning, meeting the demand remained an issue, said vendors. Despite bringing in catch all through the day, supply issues continued through the day.

“We bring in more supply over the weekends. To restructure the whole system has been difficult. Many local fishermen have opted to bring in whatever little catch they have in order to get a profit, but others have opted for other local markets in hopes for better sale and price. Our supply has been around 100 tonnes over the weekdays, which continued on Friday,” said Nanjil Ravi of the Akhila Indhiya Meenavar Sangam.

Meanwhile, private players reported pre-orders and deliveries surging on Friday. TenderCuts recorded a five-fold increase in business in anticipation for the weekend. To cater to this demand, the store had to repeatedly restock all through the day, and hired additional staff to prepare and deliver orders.

“About 60 per cent of our business comes in on the weekends, but there was a huge demand on Friday. About 80-90 per cent of it were delivery orders, as many don’t want to step out due to the pandemic. We also saw a huge surge in pre-orders for delivery on Friday,” said Nishanth Chandran, founder and CEO, TenderCuts.

Both wholesale and private traders noted that regulation is key because total closure of markets only leads to more crowds on the day before. Instead, authorities should allow delivery or strict window of operations through the weekend to help business and prevent any outbreak.