News
Post-disaster firecracker sales fall to new low
View(s):By Kasun Warakapitiya
Sales of fireworks hit an all-time low this year following the devastation of Cyclone Ditwah as well as the effects of sustained campaigns.
Sellers believe sales were low mostly because of the disaster.
M.N. Suresh
Hundreds are mourning the loss of loved ones. Some are rebuilding their lives.
Apart from that, the views about celebrations have changed over the years and are also influenced by those such as animal rights activists who advise against the use of firecrackers because of the harm to pets and urban wildlife.
Few firecrackers were heard being lit on Christmas Eve.
Low key celebrations and high prices of fireworks kept buyers away . Pix by Akila Jayawardene
A cross section of merchants who sell fireworks for Christmas and New Year celebrations reported weak sales ahead of Christmas.
The Sunday Times observed many sellers idling in their shops, makeshift kiosks, and roadside stands. Some are eager to buy but turn away, deterred by high prices. Buyers are mostly parents buying sparklers, wheels and rockets for their children.
An owner of a makeshift wooden firework shop near Handala Junction, Rohan Ratnayake, 50,
told the Sunday Times sales
have dropped.
He said people were not interested in celebrations after the cyclone disaster. He said that Catholic priests had advised their communities to keep celebrations low-key and instead to help people affected by the disaster.
“The price of fireworks has also contributed to poor sales, as Kimbulapitiya, the area where firecrackers were made, was flooded. The fireworks as well as the ingredients were also destroyed, forcing producers to set high prices to cover losses,’’ he said.
V. Chandrakumaran
Mr Ratnayake said that he offers firecrackers at prices ranging from Rs 150 to Rs 3,000, yet sales were low.
Fearing accidents and harm to animals, people only buy small sparklers and wheel fireworks (bambara chakra) and stay
away from firecrackers that make big blasts.
Mattakkuliya resident Mogan Raj, 32, who has been selling fireworks at Pettah for over 15 years, said the mindset of the people has changed after the disaster.
Rohan Ratnayake
He reasoned that the price increase of fireworks producers had also contributed to lower sales.
“By this time I would have made 50% more sales; even when the country faced economic hardship, year-end celebrations were held and sales were better compared to now,” he said on Christmas Eve.
Even wholesalers reported a lack of sales.
V. Chandrakumaran, 60, who is continuing the 108-year-old business his father started, said there were better days in the past. Bulk purchases have dropped.
He hopes sales will pick up after Christmas. According to him, the cyclone disaster must have had a bearing on celebrations.
Even novice firecracker salesmen, too, were experiencing the effects of a change in market behaviour.
Mohomad Sameer, 24, a first-time firecracker seller who sells outside his electronics shop at Kelaniya near Thorana junction, said sellers are few and sales are low. “I have seen more shops during previous years. Because there were fewer shops, I too thought of selling firecrackers,’’ he said. Prices have risen.
Mogan Raj
Stalls alongside the Kandy-Colombo road near Kelaniya University were not seen this year, unlike in past years.
M.N. Suresh, who sells firecrackers at the Lakviru Sevana housing complex near Maligawatte, said the sales volume is low, and he was selling stock from last year alongside new products.
Mohomad Sameer
Christmas sales have also dropped, he said.
Animal rights activists said people have become more sensitive about loud celebrations, preferring more visuals/lights than sounds.
Animal rights activist Champa Fernando, who is also the secretary of the Kandy Association for Community Protection through Animal Welfare, suggested fireworks producers consider making soundless firecrackers which produce more light effects.
She pointed out that dogs have greater hearing compared with humans, and loud bangs scare them.
Ms Fernando also suggested keeping pets indoors on a leash and comforting dogs jolted by loud fireworks.
Even community dogs and strays run amok due to loud sounds.
| Fireworks not playthings for children Adults must not allow children to handle fireworks, former nurse Pushpa R. Zoysa says. Also, the adults who handle fireworks should follow instructions on how to use them and must never hold fireworks and light them. “Fireworks must be securely set up in an open area, then the person who lights the firework should set fire to the igniter line and reach a safe distance,’’ she said. According to her, accidents could be reduced if instructions and safety measures are followed. | |
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