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Sales at Chandigarh nurseries finally pick up
The UT forest department is also conducting various drives to supply saplings to residents as a part of annual Van Mahotsav celebrations
With monsoons finally making a comeback and Covid cases dropping significantly, nurseries in the city which were reeling under losses are finally reporting an increase in sales.
Ranbeer Sood, manager of Durga Nursery at IT Park Road, Manimajra, said business had been hit as rains stopped in the region after mid-June. Now, they are expecting a resurgence.
“People buy different varieties of plants during this season, especially ones with medicinal qualities like aloe vera. Mostly senior citizens, largely women, prefer to buy them. Other than families, many companies also buy saplings in bulk as part of social development plans,” said Sood.
Rajinder Vashisht, owner of Dashmesh Nursery in Manimajra, said, “We used to earn about ₹10 lakh per month before the pandemic outbreak. However, sales have now dropped by 80% and we average around ₹2 lakh per month.”
The UT forest department is also conducting various drives to supply saplings to residents as a part of annual Van Mahotsav celebrations.
With lockdown restrictions being eased, Chandigarh residents have also started going back to nurseries. Sakshi Arora, a resident of Sector 19, said, “I have been buying plants for a long time, especially on special occasions such as birthdays of my family members. I buy saplings from Durga nursery and prefer snake or rubber plants, which absorb pollutants and act as defence against airborne allergies.”
Many people also grow their own vegetables in their kitchen yards, for which they purchase saplings. Hira Lal Narang, 60, a resident of Sector 18, said, “I have always been health-conscious. I prefer kitchen gardening and grow vegetables like eggplant, green beans and spinach in my backyard as most vegetables that we buy from markets are sprayed with pesticides”
