Rise in awareness leads to dip in sale of crackers by 20 per cent
Representational image
Hyderabad: Sale of crackers at retail stores has dipped by 25 per cent this year while increasing by 10 per cent online. The decreased sales, say experts, are due to increased awareness among people about poisonous gases and pollution that come with fireworks. The buzz on social media, personal experiences and also increased awareness programmes in schools have created an impact which has led to many refraining from buying huge stocks of crackers.
People this year are buying sparklers, chakkers and Red Fort crackers of 500 and 1,000 range, and colourful flower shots. Raju Kumar of an online cracker portal said, “The sale of rockets and bombs has been less compared to last year. Not many are asking for crackers that make loud noise. They are more interested in colourful fireworks.”
People are also not spending too much this year. Venkatesh Raju, a trader who has a store opposite Parade Grounds said, “The budget is not extending beyond Rs 1,500 for lower middle class families. For middle class families too, it is not extending beyond Rs 3000. There are hardly any people who are buying crackers worth Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000.” The dip is being felt by the cracker industry as advocacy of safe Diwali has gained steam. All schools across the state have carried out campaigns for a safe and green Diwali. There have been lectures and also charts where the impact of harmful gases as also accidents has been discussed in detail.
S. Laxmi, a senior mentor, said, “We have been constantly reading about pollution levels increasing alarmingly on Diwali day. The Pollution Control Board, which monitors air quality, has stated that it becomes worse and it is very important for us to celebrate the festival by lighting lamps rather than bursting crackers. This has come out clearly in our campaigns in schools and children have taken it very positively.”
Similarly, those who have had bad experiences in the past are being more careful. Lalitha Reddy, an executive, says, “My elder son was very excited and we indulged quite a bit three years ago. But we were not careful and the chemicals in the crackers ended up affecting his skin due to which there were severe rashes. Since then, we are asking only people to buy crackers from standardised manufacturers.”
Biscuits sell more, sweets less this diwali:
According to a study by Assocham on the eve of Diwali, the biscuit industry has got an edge over sweets this year as a lot of people have chosen cookies and biscuits over traditional sweets and chocolates.
The survey found that the sale of traditional sweets has fallen by over 50 per cent this Diwali while there has been a 30 per cent increase in demand for assorted cookies, low-calorie premium biscuits and bakery products. Apart from fear of adulteration, people are also opting for healthy, low-fat products, said D.S. Rawat, general secretary, Assocham.
The biscuit industry is valued at Rs 25,000 crore and it has made a killing. Also, the attractive packaging along with different shapes, sizes, flavours, quality control and longer shelf life make them popular. Sweet shops in the city, meanwhile, claim that while the sales have been low at a family level, it is not the case with corporates. Traditional sweet shops and branded stores say their business is good. The sweet market, which is largely unorganised, is worth Rs 50,000 crore. Meanwhile, many sweet stores are also stocking biscuits and chocolates.
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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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