Nuapada: The nationwide lockdown implemented to contain the spread of COVID-19 has severely affected thousands of potter families living in Sadar area under Sumersing panchayat of Nuapada district.
The summer season is often the season of profit for potters. The demand for earthen utensils, containers and pitches such as ‘surei’ is traditionally high during the hot summer weather.
That said, some of the potters rued that they are not being able to step out of their houses even for collecting raw materials such as clay for making these earthen pots owing to lockdown.
“We make earthen containers and sell them in the markets for these four months (March-June). We go to the weekly market to sell our products and make a decent profit out of it. However, we haven’t been able to do so after the lockdown was imposed as there is no marketplace for selling our utensils,” said Rajani Rana, a potter.
“We have exhausted our savings and have gone hungry for the last couple of days,” she rued.
With no weekly market open and no buyers at sight, the potters have stopped making their products as well.
Another potter in the village said despite their tough financial condition, they never went out of state to do manual labour as they were attached to their tradition. “The prevailing situation, however, is forcing us to go outside in search of work. We might do so once lockdown is lifted,” he added.
Many of these potters do not have ration cards as they have not been included in the National Food Security Act beneficiary list. They have requested the district administration for financial assistance to be able to see through the tough times.
PNN