Our Reporter
Dimapur, May 10 (EMN): Ever since the lockdown began in Dimapur, tobacco consumers have been affected by the surge in the price of tobacco products.
Although illegal and banned by the district administration, consumers are anxious about the price rise and the unavailability of the products.
A shop owner in Dimapur who sells tobacco products, said that the price surge was due to the blockage of the supply chain by the main suppliers as they had intentionally stockpiled it in bulk to increase the prices, taking advantage of the lockdown.
‘Now, almost all the tobacco products costs twice, or in some case even more, of the price it was before the lockdown,’ said the shop owner. She said she too has no option but to hike the prices after buying them from the dealers/suppliers as she also has to gain some profit out of it.
She said consumers would come knocking at her door even after midnight, just to buy some packets of tobacco like Raj Niwaz, Gold Line, etc.
According to her, these consumers are not bothered by the increase in price of the products as they get what they want because they know the situation and the unavailability during such a crisis.
Another shop owner, informed that most of the customers now buy the tobacco products in bulk fearing that they will not get the products, unlike during the pre-lockdown period.
The same owner also pointed out that customers have no other option but to buy the products even if the price soar, stating that ‘one cannot simply quit tobacco just like that’.
A 24-year-old Naga man, who wished not to be named, said that ‘life has been a misery this lockdown, not for any other setbacks, but because I can’t afford to buy tobacco products’.
“I know it’s illegal and also bad for my health but I cannot stop myself from having it at the same time,” he said adding that he now spends more than INR 300 daily, compared to spending INR 70-80 before the lockdown.
Another Naga youth in his 20s said he goes around different colonies searching for shops, in the hope that he finds some packets of tobacco.
This has become a daily routine for him, he said.
Being from a remote village under Dhansiripar subdivision, he said that the shops at his village had run out of stock long ago, and therefore, he had to come to town to get some packets.
“It’s a sad thing that one entire packet of Shikhar (which costs INR 10 per piece, and contains 24 piece in total) costs almost INR 1000 compared to INR 240-250 before the lockdown,” said the youth.