VIRUDHUNAGAR: Marking its first major price revision since the pandemic, the calendar industry has announced a 12 to 15 per cent hike in the prices of 2027 calendars after keeping prices largely stable for more than five years. The manufacturers cite a sharp rise in manufacturing costs triggered by the West Asia conflict, which pushed up the prices of paper, ink and lorry freight charges.
Sivakasi accounts for nearly 80 to 85 per cent of the state’s calendar production. With calendar albums set to be released on Aadi 18 (August 3), TN Calendar Manufacturers Association has announced the increase in calendar prices, citing 12 to 15 per cent rise in manufacturing costs.
TN Calendar Manufacturers Association president K Jeyasankar said that key raw materials including paper and paper boards are procured from Coimbatore and Madathukulam paper mills and they depend on imported pulp. “Paper prices have already increased to 12% due to geopolitical tensions affecting imports. Further, the increase in price of other products used for printing including pigments, which are mostly imported also increased the ink price to over 12 per cent,” he said.
Adding to the woes, lorry freight charges have risen to 15 to 20 per cent because of higher fuel costs, further pushing up overall manufacturing expenses. The association noted that the calendar prices have largely remained stable over the past three years, with annual revisions limited to around 5 per cent after the abnormal 20 per cent hike for 2022 calendars following the pandemic. However, a steeper price revision has become unavoidable this year due to an increase in production costs across every stage of manufacturing. They also clarified that the West Asia conflict has not disrupted the availability of raw materials.