Blessing in disguise: Boom for brooms in Andhra Pradesh

VISAKHAPATNAM: With sanitation activities coming to the forefront during the pandemic, demand for brooms produced in rural pockets of north-coastal AP has seen a rise in cities such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai.


The region includes Konaseema and Uddanam with coconut plantations and tribal areas that produce the brooms. Wholesale merchants here annually supply close to 1,500 tonne of brooms to different cities.

Supply, however, was halted in the wake of the lockdown and the absence of transport services. “Now, with the grant of permission for transportation of essential commodities and nationwide permits, and even resumption of Depot Goods Transport (DGT) vans of APSRTC, sale of brooms has resumed,” said K Veerababu, a wholesale coconut

broom

supplier from Mamidikuduru mandal in East Godavari.

“On Tuesday, I transported 6,000 kg of coconut brooms to retail merchants in Hyderabad, from where the brooms would be sold to other places like Mumbai. I charge Rs 9 for each broom,” Veerababu told TOI.

Another supplier, P Sriramulu from Srikakulam, said he supplied 4,000 kg of brooms to Pendurthi in the city. “We were ready to supply the brooms, but there was shortage of workers to make them. The workers were stuck at their homes due to the lockdown,” Sriramulu added.

Chief medical officer of GVMC Dr KSLG Sastry said demand has increased after the virus outbreak and the frequent sanitising of public places by civic bodies. “Private contractors will take care of the supply of brooms for Vizag city,” Sastry said.