Match units in Kovilpatti shut over problems in supply of raw materials

Adding to the myriad woes already faced by the match manufacturing industry, the lockdown has added one more to the list, paucity of raw material for the process, M Paramasivam, president, National Small Match Manufacturers Association, Kovilpatti, said on Monday.

The manufacturers, mostly relied on Puducherry, Kerala and Karnataka for supply of key raw materials such as potassium chlorate, wood splints and cardboard. Due to restrictions on road transport, the required amounts of raw materials could not be availed for this manufacturing sector.

More importantly, the match industry is labour intensive, and it is time to safeguard workers from the virus, which is spreading fast. Hence, the manufacturers have decided to close down the factories in Kovilpatti and its surroundings, including Ettayapuram and Kalugumalai, he said.

J Devadoss, secretary, South India Match Manufacturers Association, Kovilpatti, said though lockdown is in effect, match manufacturing has been exempted from restrictions as the product becomes an essential commodity.

According to E Perumalsamy, a manufacturer from Sattur, safety of the workforce is the top priority of manufacturers. Since COVID-19 cases were reported at villages, where match factories are located, workers mostly from these villages could not be employed.

P Kondalraj, a manufacturer in Kovilpatti, finds the closure of factories advantageous to the industry as he could not survive the market downturn owing to a rise in price of raw materials. The cost of raw materials rose by Rs 40 for manufacturing a bundle of 600 match stick boxes.

During the previous lockdown in March last year, production was disallowed for 20 days and the market benefitted indirectly since it gave rise in demand for the product, he said.