Hyderabad: Every year, stalls of Kashmiri dry fruits are a major attraction in the annual Numaish held at Nampally. The reason for their demand is that sellers procure premium dry fruits straight from the orchids of Kashmiri valleys and thus, the quality is immaculate. But, with rising doubts of the conduct of the exhibition this year owing to the COVID-19 scare, the sellers have found a way to sell their high-on-demand stock.
To take the stocks of dry fruits close to the buyers, the vendors are setting up small shops and stalls at the corners of the roads in localities of Tolichowki, Mehdipatnam, Nampally, Mallepally and Malakpet. Earlier, these premium dry fruits were only sold in Dawasaz (Unani stores), major malls and Numaish. With the widened reach of sales, they have also become expensive.
Gul Nazish, one of the vendors standing near Masjid- e- Tawheed in Tolichowki said, “I always set up a stall in Numaish, but with no announcement regarding its start, I figured I can sell them in areas where they are highly demanded. Some of us from Kashmir are in touch with the organizers of small expos, which are likely to come up all over the city, and we are hopeful of doing some business there.”
Another vendor at Mallepally is directly selling the harvest from Kashmir. “These walnuts, almonds, figs, apricots and the like are directly brought from the orchids of Kashmir Valley. We also brought along saffron, and are selling it on demand,” said Amam Gul.
Residents in these areas are all praises. “I earlier used to buy these from Numaish. When I saw a stall in front of my lane, I got excited. Though they are expensive, I love the quality of the dry fruits,” said Yousufuddin, a resident of Samatha colony.
The sales on the streets, however, are less. Many of the sellers, who are usually given accommodation at the exhibition venue itself, are residing in rented houses which are adding to their expenses. “We shall try our luck until the end of January,” said Ehsan Nisar, “If the chances of the conduct of Numaish continue to remain bleak, we have no option but to go back.”
Not only on the streets, are specialized dry fruit showrooms being inaugurated across twin cities. The owner of ‘Dry Fruit Shop’ at Tolichowki has over 114 dry fruits bought from across the globe.
