Surviving the plastic onslaught

Know Your Market

 However, the 50-year-old tarpaulin market in Ahmedabad has survived the onslaught of plastic sheets.

 The market is largely concentrated in the Paanchkuwa area of the walled city and the business is traditionally run by five to six families that have been selling tarpaulin and related products for over three generations now.

 Over the years, cotton tarpaulins have been replaced by high- and low-density plastic sheets, forcing the tarpaulin traders to move on to plastic sheet business.

 There are up to 15 tarpaulin shops in the Paanchkuwa area. Owners of these shops have recently opened four shops at the Narol Circle on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway, where offices of many transporters are located.