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Crackers biz devoid of sparkle
Continuous drought conditions in Telangana State seem to have had its impact on crackers trade this Diwali season. Traders say they could achieve only 10 per cent of the total business target even as the festival was just 10 days away.
Drought, high prices of essential commodities hit crackers business
Hyderabad: Continuous drought conditions in Telangana State seem to have had its impact on crackers trade this Diwali season. Traders say they could achieve only 10 per cent of the total business target even as the festival was just 10 days away.
According to Sanjay K Bhope, Telangana Fire works Association leader, Rs 25 crore to Rs 30 crore business was recorded across Telangana in 2014 but as of now they could do only Rs 2 crore business this season. Traders claim that farmer suicides, drought, scanty rainfall, failure of agriculture were among the major reasons for slump in the crackers business. Usually the Diwali fervour starts from Ganesh Chaturthi. However, this year business is yet to pick up.
Another trader blames the changing attitude among children and youth who are more addicted to the computer games and have been showing lack of interest in buying crackers. Earlier, parents along with children used to throng shops to buy crackers 20 days ahead of the festival, he said.
Speaking to The Hans India, a housewife said that last year they spent Rs 2,000 to purchase crackers. “But due to skyrocketing prices of pulses, rice and onions this year we decided to cut down the budget of crackers by 40 per cent,” she said.
“Even after spending Rs 2,000, we are not able to get good number of crackers as the prices were increasing by leaps and bounds every year,” she added.
Sanjay, owner of Shanti Fireworks, claiming that they have been in the business for the past 150 years in Begum Bazaar, said that last year there was a kilometre queue in front of his shop. Now, around 100 to 150 people come to buy crackers every day, he added.
In 2014 Sanjay recruited as many as 70 workers and four bouncers for two months to control the crowd at the shop. This year they were jobless, he said.
Jagadish, owner of Shruthi agencies, said that rising prices of essential commodities had badly hit the cracker business. Not only the poor, but also the middle-class people were hesitating to spend money on crackers, he lamented.
By:V Naveen Kumar
