Kerala - Kochi   

Fireworks sale lacks the sparkle

KOCHI: On this Vishu, the sky over the city may not get as brightly lit up as in the previous years.

Dealers of firecrackers are going through a lean patch during this festive season which usually sets their cash registers ringing.

“The sale has dropped by 25 to 30 per cent this year compared to the sales in previous years,” said Shihab Salim of National Traders near Kaloor which deals in firecrackers, chemicals and air guns.

A.A. Azad of New Cochin Syndicate near T.D. Road attributes this to recession coupled with the increase in material cost.

The hike in diesel price has also hurt the sellers. With the majority of the crackers sold in the city being brought from Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu, they had to bear an additional 5 to 10 per cent increase in transportation costs alone.

Mr. Salim said that he was trying to create market by not increasing the selling price but by reducing his profit margin so that the customers need not shell out more.

Mr. Azad, however, said that the price of traditional firecrackers that burst with booming sound had increased by 50 per cent.

Meanwhile, ground chakras, another favourite in the past, had fall from favour. Mr. Salim said that not many were willing to let loose swinging chakras on their front porches adorning costly floor tiles.

Unreliability of local manufacturers was cited as one of the reason why the dealers were not very enthusiastic about firecrackers that burst with sound. With bomb threats being the order of the day and the police on perpetual guard, the dealers don't promote it either. The trouble in storing, lower profit margins and the restricted decibel level were not encouraging either.

Dealers store firecrackers according to the storage limit mentioned in their license. For instance, Mr. Salim's firm has the licence to store up to 1,100 kg.

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