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| Sunday, 2 November 2003 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Cashew sales down at Kajugama by Chanuka Mannapperuma The high price of cashew is forcing the damsels of Kajugama away from their traditional business of selling cadju to Colombo-Kandy Road motorists. Most of the stalls by the wayside have closed while the girls who have no alternative still continue. Tharaka, a girl selling cashew, said: "The 'cashew girls union' is not functioning. The members are fed up and do not attend the union meetings regularly. This union has not taken any action to improve our sales at least by arranging bank loans". "The main reason for us making losses is the availability of quality cashew nuts in most parts of the country. We buy cashew nuts from wholesale dealers. Earlier, this business was very profitable, because we purchased cashew at low prices and tourists and passers-by used to buy cashew nuts from our stalls. But now, tourists and other customers are not interested in buying cashew because of the very high prices," she said. Disna, a sales girl, said: "On some days, I do not sell even one packet of cashew nuts. We have increased the price because there are fewer customers. We buy a small quantity of cashew nuts for about Rs 2000 and sell a packet of 30 nuts at Rs 50. Cashew is not an essential food item, so it is not fast moving". Kumarasinghe, a wholesale dealer, said he sells two kinds of cashew - raw cashew, used for cooking and oven cashew. "I have packs from 50 grams to five kilograms. A 90g packet of raw cashew is sold at Rs 50 while a one kilo pack of oven cashew is priced at Rs 480. A one kilo packet of cashew pieces is sold at Rs 350. I earn a better profit margin during the wedding season," he added. Mallika said:" My family has been engaged in this business for generations. Now I have inherited it. It does not matter whether the trade is profitable or not. This is our livelihood and we do business from 8.00am to 7.00pm. On some days, we do not even sell one packet, but during the tourist season, we can increase our sales." One of the oldest sales women, Maginona, tracing the history of Kajugama said it dates back to 1920. She had been engaged in this business from 1930. At that time, cashew sales were good and it was a very successful business. But now, sales are down, girls are doing their own businesses and Kajugama cashew sales are not profitable," she added. |
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