Hyderabad: Badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the rise in gold prices, gold retailers in Hyderabad have extended their voluntary shutdown till July 15. They had closed their shops on June 28 and were expected to reopen on July 5.
The jewellery season during the period from the middle of March to June. This year it coincided with the coronavirus lockdown. Mukta Suman Kumar of Mukta Jewellers said the conditions have not yet improved. Rajesh Ranka of Dhanraj Jewellers said the Hyderabad Gold and Silver Shops Association has decided to extend the shutdown till July 15.
Craftsmen from Bengal, UP and Rajasthan have gone back home, and there are no orders from retailers, said K. Nikhil of Keshoju Narasaiah, manufacturers of gold ornaments. He said the requirement for gold jewellery was 10 kg in the first week of March which had fallen to 3 kg now.
Out of 25 craftsmen with the manufacturer, only five are working now.
