MULTAN, Sept 27 The business community in Multan is worried at slow business activity. This year's Eid business volume has been estimated to be 40 to 50 per cent less than last year due to multiple reasons, Dawn has learnt.

A survey of various markets, catering to different segments of society, revealed that inflation, terrorism, hot weather and non-harvesting season are some of the reasons for slow business this year.

Mohammad Ashraf, a garments and shoe store owner at Chen One, a posh business centre, said the number of customers was 30 to 35 per cent less this year as compared to last year's Eid season.

He said that terrorism could be a major factor that people were avoiding shopping at such business points.

He said that increasing trend in inflation has also badly affected the purchasing power of the salaried class and people are giving preference to purchase Eid-related items only for children.

Anjam Abbas, a shoes store owner at Multan Cantt Bazaar, said although prices of shoes were the same as those of last year, there was a 50 per cent decrease in the number of customers.

Zahoor Ahmed, who is running his fabrics business in Hussain Aagahi Bazaar, said that 75 to 100 per cent increase in prices was the mean reason behind more than 50 per cent decrease in the number of customers.

He said inflation has badly affected the saving ability of the people.

“People are empty-handed and they are hardly able to do Eid shopping even for their children,” he added.

He said that the farming community was absent from the market because their economic conditions do not allow them the privilege of shopping for themselves due to non-harvesting season of any crop while they were already helpless to arrange inputs for their cotton crop, especially fertilisers and pesticides.

Mohammad Siddique, who has a shoe shop range between Rs150 and 50 near Clock Tower Chowk, said that Eid season usually starts after 12th of Ramazan, but this year they were waiting for customers even after 24th of Ramazan.

He said during the last season people could purchase four to six items of Eid in the range of Rs1000 to Rs1500, but this year, they were able hardly to purchase two to four items.

Mohammad Haris, who is running his gift and perfume centre at Multan Cantonment, said that the government had increased duty tariff on import of luxury items that has resulted in 50 to 120 per cent increase in prices.

He said about 60 per cent decrease in the number of customers was observed as compared to last year.

Shahid, who is running a garment shop for children, said that after the government imposed Rs35 duty on child suits imported from China, prices have increased 20 to 30 per cent.

He said shopkeepers were forced to reduce their profit margin as purchasing power of the people has decreased.

He said earlier people used to purchase two to six suits for their children, but this year they were purchasing a maximum of two suits.

A D Baloch, organizer of Sanati Numaish (industrial exhibition) at Dera Adda, said that industrial exhibition provides an opportunity to people to purchase not only Eid-related items, but also household items of daily use at economical prices and people visit the exhibition arranged by him in a large number, but this year the number of customers was 75 per cent less as compared to last year.

He said that poor law and order situation in the country, hot whether and inflation have baldy affected this year's Eid business volume.