BANKING TRADE AND COMMERCE

PEDLARS

Pedlars : Pedlars or itinerant traders in the villages, constituted an important part of the trade organisation of the district in old times when wholesale and retail trade was conspicuous by its absence in most of the rural areas of the district. They provided the needs of the villagers for articles, such as, oils, kerosene, sweetmeats, tea, bread and biscuits, dried fruits, fruits and vegetables, handloom and mill-made cloth, hosiery, utensils, carpets, mats, bamboo baskets, toys, spices, bangles, agarbattis, turmeric, red powder, etc. However, with the passage of time and development of trade there has been a marked increase in the number of retail shops and weekly bazars. This has affected the business of pedlars to a considerable degree. The villagers who earlier used to patronise the pedlars now-a-days show a marked preference for periodical markets and retail shops which offer them a wide variety and choice. However, wherever places are inadequately served by retail shops and weekly markets the pedlars still play a very important role in serving the essential needs of the common man.

Pedlars still carry on their trade almost in the same old fashion. Some of them use horses or bullock carts to carry their goods. However, many carry their goods on their persons. Almost ail transactions are on cash basis.

Some of them belong to professional classes, such as, oil-men. weavers, gardeners and tailors. The others buy articles in urban places and sell them in villages. Such prominent places as Akola, Karanja, Washim, Akot, Murtizapur in the district as also Amravati, Nasik and Bombay are the main purchasing centres for pedlars. Different types of pedlars deal in different types of goods e. g., gardeners in fruits and vegetables, farmers in foodgrains, grocers in groceries, oil-men in oil, potters in earthenware, dhangars in country blankets and tailors in ready-made clothes.

Local pedlars usually carry on their business in fair weather. From October to June and especially during the festivals, local fairs and marriage season, their trade is brisk. But sometimes pedlars from adjoining districts and occasionally from distant towns trade in various tahsils on the border.

The local pedlars generally buy their stock from Akola, Karanja, Washim, Telhara, Malegaon, Mangrulpir and Balapur in the district and sometimes from Amravati.

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