Harihara bricks remain builders’ favourite

Davanagere: Harihar bricks have earned a strong reputation across Karnataka’s construction sector, becoming almost synonymous with quality and durability. Builders often remark that a house feels incomplete without using Harihara bricks. While demand for the brand remains steady across multiple districts, kiln owners are now grappling with falling prices and shrinking profit margins.

Bricks manufactured in Harihara and surrounding villages are supplied to Bengaluru, Chitradurga, Haveri, Shivamogga, Davanagere, Harapanahalli, Ranebennur, Jagalur and Channagiri. Along the Tungabhadra river belt and near Harapanahalli Road and Rajanahalli, hundreds of brick kilns operate, each producing between 5,000 and 6,000 bricks daily. In one firing cycle, nearly two to three lakh bricks are stacked and burnt using coal.

Despite such large-scale production, kiln owners say the market is under stress. Basavaraj, a kiln owner, said the production cost per brick is around ₹6. “Customers are demanding bricks at ₹6.50 each. Earlier, we earned nearly ₹1 profit per brick. Now we are left with just 25 to 50 paise,” he said. Two years ago, the price touched ₹8 per brick, but rates have since declined.

He added that an annual investment of nearly ₹15 lakh is required to operate a kiln, covering raw material, coal, labour wages and transportation. A truckload of 2,500 bricks is sold for ₹18,000 to ₹20,000, while transport charges alone cost about ₹3,500. “With such thin margins, sustainability is becoming difficult,” he said. Guttur village in Harihara taluk has over 50 years of history in brickmanufacturing and is considered the hub of the trade. The industry provides employment to thousands, including migrant labourers from Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Bihar. While the brand value of Harihara bricks remains intact, kiln owners hope for price stability to sustain the traditional industry.