Reporting a 50% decline in demand this Diwali, Inder Vir Jain of Inder Fire Works says the situation has never been so grim in the nearly 25 years he's spent in the business. Another trader, P K Goel, also says it's the worst since he has started the business in 1995. "Usually we have to restock our supply, but this year our warehouse is still full with crackers we bought in March or April," says Goel of Balaji Fireworks, adding that there was a decline of 35% this year.
The only saving grace, say traders, was the sale during the last few days, but it failed to compensate for a lackluster season. "Normally business starts after the Navratras, but this year it was very slow. Initially we faced a slump of 75%, and though we recovered a little in the three days before Diwali, overall it is still down by 50%," says Arun Aggarwal, Dharam Fire Works. Aggarwal, in business for 24 years, likens the situation to the slowdown that occurred during the Rohtak flood of 1995.
This year too, traders say, unpredictable events have played a hand in the low sales of firecrackers. "Crackers come from Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu, and the fire at a cracker unit there earlier this year reduced the production of crackers. The Nilam cyclone that hit southern states also made it difficult for firecracker factories to operate. The price of some crackers went up as a result," says Umesh Kumar, Umesh Fire Works, adding that though they bought just half the amount of crackers they normally do, business was still down by 65% this year.
The high price of firecrackers did not help the already low-buying behaviour spurred by unrelenting inflation. "People have a lot of financial burden and bills to pay, so crackers were not a priority," says Aggarwal. "Sales depend on big crackers, but buyers willing to spend thousands were few this year. People bought phuljhadis or anaars for shagun," says Kumar. He also says growing awareness among children through endeavours at schools have also contributed to the low demand for crackers.
"Licensing norms have become strict, so fewer retailers manage to obtain licences to sell firecrackers. Our area would be filled with small shops selling crackers, and they would buy from us. But with hardly any shops this year, our buyers were much less," says Goel, a wholesaler.
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