Jagaran Chakma

Dining out has become a rare exercise amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as many people prefer to stay at home in a bid to maintain social distancing and avoid infection.

To satiate their hunger for restaurant-quality food, many families tried to prepare the dishes themselves. This has led to a sudden rush for electronic kitchen appliances.

The market size for electronic kitchen appliances stood at Tk 650 crore in 2020, a 55 per cent increase compared to the year before when it was Tk 420 crore.

Previously, the industry’s annual growth was limited to about 10 or 12 per cent. However, industry insiders say that this is not accurate statistics as there is no reliable market data.

Major producers, including Walton, Electra, Singer, Eco, Miyako, Sebec, Panasonic, Philips and Sharp are active in the market.

“We saw a sharp rise in demand for electronic kitchen appliances amid the pandemic,” said Manzurul Karim, general manager of Esquire Electronics, the local distributor of Japanese brands General and Sharp.

The demand will maintain an upward trend for years to come as people have become more self-reliant in the kitchen and are now accustomed to the convenience of these appliances, he added.

Echoing the same, Saikat Azad, head of marketing at Transcom Digital, said the demand for appliances such as ovens, rice cookers and blenders witnessed a growth between 40 and 200 per cent amid the pandemic as people now understand the utility of the products.

Firoz Ahmed

Electronic kitchen appliances witnessed a sharp increase in demand amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as the countrywide lockdown and social distancing measures forced many people to become more self-reliant when it comes to cooking.