Minister of State for Commerce and Industry EM Sudarsana Natchiappan on Friday said a Special Economic Zone exclusively for cracker industries will be set up at Sivakasi.
He also promised that the Centre would hold bilateral talks with several countries for increasing the export of crackers.
Speaking at a gathering at the National Fireworks Conference PYROTECH 2013 on the theme ‘Enhanced Management of Fireworks’, he said cracker industries setting up units would get tax exemptions at the SEZ to be set up in an area of 200 acres after consulting with the crackers manufacturers in Sivakasi.
He asked the cracker manufacturing associations to submit their proposal on the proposal.
“In order to facilitate export of crackers, he said the government would conduct talks with the representatives of 15 countries through their respective embassies. Though the domestic business is close to `3 crore, the cracker business has to be expanded to foreign countries,” he said. The cracker consignments had to be moved to either Columbo or Singapore to take it to other countries but arrangements had been made to take them from Thoothukudi port.
Besides, he said a godown would also be constructed with the permission of Thoothukudi port officials to store crackers, he added.
A P Selvarajan, President of Tami Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Asssociation said “So far exports are only to the tune of `2 crore this year. It was over `25 crore in 1996”.