There is no demand for organic colors as it is more expensive in comparison to chemical Holi colors.
The shops in KR Market and Avenue road see a decline in the sales of organic colors this Holi festival. Organic colors, which are also eco-friendly, have reported low sales as it is more costly than the chemically produced colors which are cheaper.
The price of organic colors is almost double as chemical color are sold for Rs. 50 for half a kg, while organic colors are sold for Rs. 130 for half a kg.
“The sale of colors for Holi has fallen this year in comparison to the past few years and so is the awareness of using eco-friendly colors. Usually, people buy colors one day prior to the festival and that to the cheap ones. So, there is no demand for different varieties of organic color,” said Aslam Pasha, a shopkeeper in KR Market.
“I have not ordered any stock of organic color this year learning from the sales of last year. There is no demand for such colors as they like to play with darker colors which are actually made from chemicals,” said Azhgar, a shopkeeper in Avenue Road.
Srinivas, a shopkeeper in KR Market, said that sections of people who buy organic colors demand it in bulk for parties and it is supplied accordingly. But then, there is very little demand for such supplies. Otherwise, people who buy in lesser quantity do not pick organic colors as they are highly priced He also added that if there is a bulk order, it is only then that they provide organic colors. Apart from that, he had normal colors and chemical colors.
Every year, there are several people who develop an allergy after playing with these chemical colors, says Dermatologist Aparna working at Skin, Cosmetic and ENT center.
“The chemical substances used in the Holi colors cause allergic contact dermatitis which is very harmful as it causes burning, itching, and rashes on the body. Every year we get a lot of patients who develop this skin disease after playing with these colors. We suggest people use vegetable based colors instead as this allergy would take a month to heal,” said Aparna