Drop in sanitiser sales, hike in prices after ease of lockdown
Hyderabad: Demand for disinfectants and sanitisers which boomed after the ease of lockdown has gone down from mid-August.
Khaja Abdul Mudasir of Chemical and Equipment Centre at Ramkoti, dealing in chemical and medical equipment, said, “The demand mounted three times the regular level soon after lockdown. At one point of time, we fell short of products. After the lockdown, the demand for hand sanitisers, liquids and gels, disinfectant chemicals such as sodium hypochloride and bleach were crazy.”
Describing the sales, Mudasir said “From April to mid-August, the sales at each shop used to be around 1,000 kgs of bleach, 1,000 litres of sodium hypochloride and 1,000 litres of sanitiser.”
However, Mudasir added, “The sales went down from mid-August. We assume people have forgotten about the Coronavirus. Sales are now at the same level as it was before the lockdown and before the virus entered India.”
A shop owner, under condition of anonymity, said, “Most of the shops have hiked the rates. The cost of sodium hypochloride which cost Rs 15- Rs 25 has been raised up to `50 a litre. Bleach has shot up from Rs 40 to Rs 80 a kg, a litre of sanitiser which costs Rs 100- Rs 120 has become Rs 100 for 100ml, which is 10 times the original retail price.
Pathuri Srikanth, administrative manager at a television channel, said “We can easily make out that people have discontinued following the creed of safe environment and clean environment which was adopted during the initial period. We hardly see people using sanitisers now. Presently it seems like virus has been taken casually.”
Rs 25 has been raised up to Rs 50 a litre. Bleach has shot up from Rs 40 to Rs 80 a kg, a litre of sanitiser which costs Rs 100- Rs120 has become Rs 100 for 100ml, which is 10 times the original retail price.
Pathuri Srikanth, administrative manager at a television channel, said “We can easily make out that people have discontinued following the creed of safe environment and clean environment which was adopted during the initial period. We hardly see people using sanitisers now. Presently it seems like virus has been taken casually.”