Buy ‘Made in India’ crackers, manufacturers appeal

Chennai: Ahead of Deepavali, cracker manufacturers in the state are launching an awareness campaign through radio to encourage people to buy ‘Made in India’ crackers and fight the illegal import of fireworks from China.

Cracker makers have also taken up the issue of illegal imports of Chinese crackers with both the Centre and state governments.

Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers’ Association (TANFA MA) president G. Abiruben says that their association would launch a 10-day radio campaign across the country starting November 1to inform people about how safe Indian made crackers are.

“Several lakhs of people are employed in our industry. We will tell people through our campaign about how Chinese made crackers affect our livelihood. We hope when we promote ‘Made in India’ concept among people, there will be more purchase of Indian crackers,” he said.

The campaign would be in 20-second capsules aired in most Indian languages all through the day across the country. The association plans to have interviews of cracker dealers and vendors about the safety and high quality of Indian made crackers for three days.

Asked why the association preferred radio as the medium for a campaign, Mr Abiruben said that they consulted dealers and consumers and based on their feedback it was decided to go with radio this year.

“The fireworks industry is worth about Rs 6,000 crore and this year at least 30 per cent of our business has already been hit due to Chinese crackers,” he said.