Traditional Kashmiri bakers' products go unsold

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Many consider closing down business to do daily wage work

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We will not survive this pandemic. It has become difficult to feed family members as our daily earning has suffered in the past two months. The consumers do not want to eat our bakery products due to the fear of the coronavirus — Laksham Thakur, traditional Kashmiri baker

Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 27

Even after being allowed to open his business during the lockdown 4, traditional Kashmiri baker Laxman Thakur is struggling to restart his life and earn livelihood as consumers are not buying various bread varieties due to the fear of Covid-19 infection.

Since March, his shop in the Bantalab area remained shut. From May 17, Thakur and more than 100 other Kashmiri bakers opened their shops but the demand for their products did not pick up, which hit them economically.

Largely untouched by modernity, many bread varieties prepared using firewood and tandoors was much sought after and relished in the pre-covid-19 times.

“We will not survive this pandemic. It has become difficult to feed family members as our daily earning has suffered in the past two months. The consumers do not want to eat our bakery products due to the fear of the coronavirus”, said Laksham Thakur at his makeshift shop.

A majority of the bread makers called ‘Kandur’ in Kashmiri languag,e originally belong to Kishtwar district of Jammu region. As per the estimate, it sustains about 1,000 families who also work as cooks in marriages and other social functions.

“Before March, we were doing brisk business and marriages and social functions would bring in additional income. If things don’t improve we will have to close this business and look for daily wage work”, said Thakur, who belongs to one of the remotest areas of Kishtwar. Although the rising cost of firewood, flour and other expenditures was already making his trade unprofitable, the Covid-19 pandemic has come as a disaster.

“The shelf life of bakery products is one day or two so if it is not sold on the same day, they have to be destroyed. The situation is uncertain. We are not making product beyond a few kg of flour. I don’t blame the customers, everyone is afraid of this unseen enemy”, said Thakur.