As coronavirus bites, traders in Siliguri cancel orders for Chinese goods

Over the past few days, several traders in Siliguri have started cancelling their orders and their visits to China because of the scare of coronavirus.

Importers from Siliguri have cancelled orders for Chinese goods and also put off visits to that country.

As coronavirus casualties mount in China, traders from Siliguri in north Bengal have started cancelling their orders for Chinese goods.

“Traders from Siliguri import the maximum amount of consumer goods from China and Thailand. The quantity is much more than what their counterparts in metro cities such as Delhi and Mumbai import. But over the past few days, several traders have started cancelling their orders because of the scare of the virus. No trader now wants to travel to China,” said Gouri Shankar Goyal, secretary of Siliguri Merchants’ Association.

These traders used to travel to various cities in China including Guangzhou in Guangdong province and Yiwu in Zhejiang province to book the consignments themselves to ensure quality. The consignments used to come via Hong Kong and Singapore before landing at the Kolkata port from where they were taken to Siliguri by road.

“When the coronavirus is taking its toll and people are dying in China, there is no question of going to China,” said Sanjay Bansal, an importer who visits China once or twice every year for trade. Bansal deals with imported umbrellas.

Only a token amount of the Indo-China trade takes place through the land border in Sikkim. Siliguri is considered as the gateway to India’s Northeast and is one of the most sought after destinations of Chinese goods. The imported goods then make their way to various parts of the country particularly the north-eastern states.

“We have already cancelled our orders from China. Though Wuhan city in Hubei - the epicentre of coronavirus infection - do not have manufacturing and industrial units and the traders import their products from other cities in China, we can’t take the risk. The virus has already affected thousands of people across the world,” said Jyoti Bansal an importer.

Shoes, crockery items, garments, umbrellas and bags top the list of items that are imported by the traders.

“Though no official data is available every month Chinese consumable goods worth more than Rs 50 crore are imported. Siliguri which is close to Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China have large markets for Chinese goods. There are around 500 importers of Chinese consumable goods in Siliguri who directly bring the goods from China and send those to different parts including the Northeast,” said Prem Agarwal the former president of Siliguri Golden Plaza Cultural Association. He had relocated from Pashupatinagar in Nepal to Siliguri.

In the last ten years malls and markets selling foreign goods have mushroomed in Siliguri. One such market for foreign markets is the Golden Plaza housing. It has more than 100 shops.

Agarwal said, “The Plaza has more than 100 importers and nowhere in the country there are so many importers in a single building.”

Traders said that even though there is no immediate scarcity of imported goods as old stocks are being cleared, losses could start mounting if the coronavirus scare continues. Importers said that Chinese traders avail almost one month’s leave in the New Year and the booking of consignments fall drastically during this time.

Mukesh Singhal who imports shoes and has a shop at Golden Plaza said, “Even if we book a consignment now, it won’t come before March. The situation would have been more alarming had the coronavirus outbreak taken place during the summer when Indo-China border trade goes on in full swing.”