Rajkot’s Soni Bazar’s shutdown may impact jewellery supply

Rajkot: The gold jewellery supply to important markets across Gujarat and many parts of the country is likely to be his the manufacturing hub for the yellow metal Rajkot will shut down for a week starting September 12 following rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths.
In past three months over 400 gold traders and workers from the Soni Bazar of Rajkot have tested positive for the virus, while nearly 35 people have succumbed to it.Two persons — one trader and a worker — died of the infection on Thursday.
The traders had earlier shut down shops in July after the cases spiked. They had also limited it’s timings in August for two weeks. After the markets opened up in June the business has been dull and has just managed to reach 30-40% of the pre-Covid trader,” said Mayur Adesara, vice president of Gems and Jewellery Association in Rajkot.
Bhayabhai Soni, president of Rajkot Gold Dealers Association, who lost his brother and sister-in-law in this pandemic two days back said, “We have urged the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) to declare this area as a red zone, sanitize it and do testing of all the people who have come in contact with these people in the market.”
“The wholesalers, retailers and workers’ association all have unanimously taken this decision to close the market for a week after discussing the issue for over two days,” he added.
According to Rajkot traders, there will be hardly any jewellery shop in the country where their designed or manufactured ornaments are not on display.
Shantibhai Patel, president of Jems and Jewellery Trade Council of India said, “As the gold prices have come down the traders from all over India have placed orders with the Rajkot manufacturers. The Zaveri market of Mumbai has not commenced work yet and Rajkot was getting those orders too. This shutdown by Rajkot jewellers will certainly delay our orders and if the market will remain closed for more days it will badly impact jewellers.”
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There are about 250 big and 500 small jewellery manufacturing shops in Rajkot
The yearly turnover of Rajkot’s gold jewellery making sector is Rs 7,500 crore
1.25 lakh workers are employed in the sector, including 50,000 migrants
Rajkot is known for its lightweight gold jewellery especially nose pins, earrings and antic jewellery