Haleem industry staring at huge losses due to COVID-imposed lockdown

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], May 23 (ANI): About an estimated two lakh workers who work in the Haleem industry are bearing the brunt with eateries in Hyderabad announcing a decision not to serve Haleem, this Ramzan.
Hotel owners association in the city have announced they will not prepare the famed dish on account of corona virus-induced lockdown. The Haleem industry itself is facing huge losses due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown and thousands of workers are going without jobs, even in the month of Ramzan.
There are around 6,000 outlets in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh which sell the non-vegetarian Ramzan delicacy. "This year, the industry has faced losses in crores," Mohammed Abdul Majeed, president of Haleem makers association told ANI.
"We are sad that many have lost employment who would work in different haleem making firms this time, due to lockdown," Majeed further said.
Majeed said that around two lakh people work either directly or indirectly for the industry, and around 70,000 people work directly in the haleem industry, and they are now unemployed.
"In the process of making haleem, we cannot maintain social distancing, so we all decided that we will not sell haleem this year because people's life is more important than making money. Customers and staff are very important to us," said Mohammed Abdul Majeed.
"We used to eat haleem every year, but this year we are not getting haleem due to the curfew," said Sudhakar Reddy, a local.
"There are customers who specially come to Hyderabad from different parts of the country to eat Haleem in Ramadan month. We would send haleem through courier service to different places like Delhi, Bombay, and Kolkata. We would supply to many prominent personalities also," added Majeed.
Majeed further said that he has urged the staff and team to donate as much to the needy and poor.
Recently, Haleem production started at a small scale, and the dish is being delivered to people's homes. "We used to get haleem earlier, but now the shop is closed due to lockdown. But they are sending parcels, so I bought one box yesterday," said Mohammed Zakir, local. (ANI)