Eco-friendly Ganpatis sold out as demand overshoots supply
Efforts of green activists and NGOs have pushed up sale of eco-friendly Ganpati idols in the city.
3 min read
Efforts of green activists and NGOs have pushed up sale of eco-friendly Ganpati idols in the city. Several eco-friendly Ganpati idol-making competitions this year and the boost given by a few companies like Uninor to create awareness have helped.
For instance,EcoExist doubled its sale this year. This year,we sold 1,600 idols,double of what was sold last year, said Manisha Gutman,founder of EcoExist.
In spite of the high sale,the demand of eco-friendly idols made clay – they easily disperse in water during immersion causing much less pollution as compared to plaster of paris (PoP) idols – still overshot supply. Buyers at many places were unable to find them as many sellers stocked PoP idols for various reasons.
Ganesh Lanjekar,who sells over 1,000 idols every year at Pawli Chowk in Kasba Peth,said,I have been selling idols for 42 years. I sold an equal number of both the shadu mati (clay) and PoP Ganpatis,but the demand for eco-friendly Ganpatis was not completely met.
As to why sellers were stocking less eco-friendly idols despite the high demand,he said one of the reasons was the higher cost of making such idols. Besides,sculptors claim production cost is 60 per cent higher than that of PoP idols.
Eco-friendly Ganpatis also take a longer time to dry. In the time we make 1,000 PoP Ganpatis,only around 200 eco-friendly Ganpatis can be readied. Sculptors charge less for PoP ones, says 31-year-old Vikrant Bakhave,who sells idols near Surya Hospital.
Bakhave sold 1,200 PoP idols but did not stock any shadu mati Ganpatis this year. Near PMC headquarters,of the 190-odd stalls selling idols,only three stocked eco-friendly ones. Sagar Shinde,a seller,said it is not easy to stock them.
It takes at least three-four days for these idols to dry. Also,we need skilled sculptors,who are not easy to find. Plus raw material for eco-friendly Ganapti costs higher. They are very delicate and many a time we incur losses due to rain and storage problems.
At Sunil Dages shop at Mandai,he said the cost of clay is the first area where PoP is the gainer. He buys 50 kg of shadu mati for Rs 300. Secondly,idols made of clay do not get the same finish as PoP, he says. He stocked 750 idols of which around 200 were eco-friendly and all of them were sold out.
Atul Marve a 35-year-old seller at Mangalmurti Vikas Kendra,says,Making eco-friendly Ganpatis takes double the efficiency needed for PoP idols. Not many are ready to risk investing more and incurring losses in the event of poor sale or damage caused by rain, he said.
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