Early rain leaves juice sellers high and dry

Trichy: The sale of popular summer refreshments such as tender coconuts, palm fruits, watermelons, and fruit juices has dropped sharply across Trichy this May, leaving thousands of traders and street vendors who stocked up heavily for the peak season in dire straits.While business boomed in mid-April amid intense heatwave conditions, the arrival of early rainfall and a noticeable drop in temperatures from the first week of May have drastically reduced consumer demand. People who once thronged juice shops and roadside stalls to beat the heat are now opting for less chilled refreshments.According to available data, the average maximum temperature over the past eight days stood at 34°C, with an average minimum of 26°C. During the same period last year, the average maximum was much higher at 39°C and the minimum was 27°C. Meteorological department sources said that while a temperature drop occurred last year in May as well, this year's decline occurred at least two weeks earlier, catching many vendors off guard.K Malliga, a 70-year-old ice apple (nungu) seller from Utthamaputhur who operates in Palakkarai, sells ice apples for Rs50 per set. "My sales have been very dull for the past ten days. I invested thousands of rupees in purchasing stock two weeks ago expecting good business, but now I am hardly earning a few hundred rupees per day," she said. Rajambal, 60, a tender coconut (ilaneer) vendor from Vamadam selling in Thillai Nagar, sells for Rs50 and Rs80 per nut. "I bought around 200 coconuts hoping to earn at least Rs2,000 daily. But for the past one week, I have not been able to make even half of that amount," she said.Wholesalers reported that distribution of tender coconuts and palm fruits has declined by nearly 50%. Most tender coconuts sold in Trichy are sourced from Coimbatore and Tirupur districts, while palmyra (palm) fruits come from Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi. Permanent juice shops, temporary stalls, and mobile pushcart vendors are all feeling the pinch. Many are struggling to cover rent and other daily expenses. S. Thamimun Ansari, a juice seller at Central Bus Stand, said, "The number of customers has reduced drastically in the last two weeks. We have stopped buying fresh stock and are trying to manage with whatever fruits we already have by refrigerating them."Dr Sivananda Damodara Pai, head of Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, attributed the unusual weather pattern to increased cloud cover and cyclonic circulation over Bay of Bengal. "A lot of moisture is entering Tamil Nadu, which is shielding solar radiation and bringing down temperatures," he said. "This drop in temperature is likely to continue for another week, with rainfall possibilities over the next five days."