In pics: A day at last active matchstick factory in Kerala capital

“The government is unsupportive. We are not given the licence to use the chemicals needed to make the match head. So, we ready just the sticks, which are sent to Tamil Nadu for applying the combustive tip and packaging," says an employee.

Matchsticks processed at the factory are sent to Tamil Nadu for applying the combustive tip and packaging Photo | Vincent Pulickal

Sheets being arranged to be fed into the chopping machine Vincent Pulickal

A worker removes bark from a log Vincent Pulickal

A worker collects matchsticks falling off a conveyor beltVincent Pulickal

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Workers at the Sunny Match Factory at Vlathankara in Neyyattinkara number just a handful. But they represent countless stories of a time when the entire region had several such units where the little packets of ignition were packaged for the markets.

Jerry David, foreman of the company, has over 40 years of experience in the sector. “I have seen many factories that once thrived in Thiruvananthapuram close down. I joined Sunny a decade ago; this is probably the last one standing in the region,” he says.

Founded in 1972, Sunny Match Factory is, in fact, the only fully active one in the district.

And the future looks bleak, says factory manager Sam S J. “The government is unsupportive. We are not given the licence to use the chemicals needed to make the match head. So, we ready just the sticks, which are sent to Tamil Nadu for applying the combustive tip and packaging. Then they are sent back to Kerala. The matches industry in Tamil Nadu is doing well," he says.

Sunny Match Factory has just seven people on its payroll. They do not see much of a future for the industry here unless there is some policy change.

A chopper machine churns out matchsticksVincent Pulickal

A woman collects wooden sheetsVincent Pulickal

A worker removes bark from a log Vincent Pulickal