Home ›› 09 Aug 2022 ›› Front
Mahbub Alam, the owner of a small hotel in Dhaka’s Gopibagh area, has bought a two-kva (2,000 volt-amps) portable generator with an aim to lure customers to his eatery during the frequent hours of load-shedding in the capital.
“The customers do not want to enter the hotel during the hours of load-shedding due to the scorching heat of summer and the dark atmosphere inside. So, I bought this generator to keep the lights on and fan running when the power goes out,” he told The Business Post.
Not only Mahbub, but a growing number of buyers have been also thronging the stores of electronic goods to buy portable generators since the government introduced load-shedding a few weeks ago all across the country after power generation was hampered due to the gas crisis.
As a result, the sale of portable generators has increased manifold all of a sudden in the market, and because of this sudden increase in sales, the price of portable generators has also gone up, said the businessmen.
Meanwhile, the stock is almost finished due to the increased demand and sales. At present, the supply of portable generators in the market is less than the demand, said traders from Old Dhaka’s Nawabpur Road area which is a big market for the product. They also said that shopkeepers and owners of hotel or restaurant businesses are the main customers of the product. In some cases, people are also taking it for household use.
“The price of generators has slightly increased in recent times due to growing demand. The price of one-kva generator (1,000 volts) is Tk 19,000-Tk 22,000 while the price of 550 volts is Tk 12,000-Tk 15,000,” said Md Rasel, an employee at Jalil Enterprise at Nawabpur Road.
Md Harun Khan, the owner of Labib Machinery in the area, told The Business Post, “At present, we have no stock. We collect it from the importer and sell.”
The price of the product has increased by Tk 2,000-Tk 5,000. The minimum price starts from Tk 10,000, he added.
Smart Power and Technology’s proprietor M I Kabir said that their 1, 2, 3 or 5-kva portable generators are out of stock now. “Usually, it is a slow item. So, we stock a few. But, since the start of load-shedding, its sales have increased. A few generators are in the market now,” he said.
“A one-kva generator can run six fans and 10 lights at a time, but it depends on the quality of the generator, he added.
Hasan, who came to Nawabpur Road from Jamalpur’s Melandaha upazila to buy a two-kva generator, said, “My father has a small restaurant business in Melandah Bazar. Although load-shedding was supposed to be one hour a day, in reality, we have to face 3-5 hours of load-shedding every day.”
“I have been roaming at the market for several hours, looking for a generator at an affordable price. But, it seems, there is no alternative to buying at high prices,” he said.
Bati Ghar’s Manager Nadim Ahmed told The Business Post, “We import generators required for the whole year at a time. Usually, we do not stock a huge amount of generators.”
“But its demand suddenly increased manifold after the government announced to carry out load-shedding and it ran out of stock very quickly. Now, we are not able to place import orders because of the increased price of the dollar and LC complications. Those who still have some generators in stock are selling at higher prices,” he said.
Abdus Salam Bachchu, an importer and also owner of SH Service at Nawabpur Road, said, “After placing the order, it takes two months for the goods to arrive. The traders are in doubt whether the demand will be the same after such a long time. So, importers are reluctant to place big orders.”
