CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin has urged Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal to immediately ban the import of single-use plastic cigarette lighters and also take stringent action against illegal imports.
The Chief Minister, in his letter to the Union Minister on Thursday, pointed out that the matchbox industry has been losing its domestic market as a result of competition from single-use plastic cigarette lighters which are legally and illegally imported from countries like China. The Chief Minister's request came after his interaction with matchbox manufacturers at Kovilpatti in the Thoothukudi district earlier in the day.
"These cigarette lighters are available for Rs.10 and can substitute for 20 matchboxes. However, these non-refillable lighters result in immense plastic waste, are made of environmentally damaging plastic and the health impact of the fuel used by them is unknown. Further, if imported cigarette lighters continue to capture the market, then over a lakh people in Tamil Nadu engaged in this industry will lose their livelihood," the Chief Minister added.
Stalin added that the matchbox industry has been facing stiff challenges from Pakistan and Indonesia in the export markets. The supply chain disruptions following the Covid pandemic have increased the cost and logistic difficulties associated with exports. There has also been a huge increase in input costs.
The Chief Minister also pointed out that the matchbox manufacturing industry is a major source of employment in the southern part of Tamil Nadu. It is a traditional industry that employs over a lakh people directly and most of its employees are women. Further, the industry is a vital engine of economic growth in a region that is arid for agriculture. The matchbox industry earns foreign exchange revenue of around Rs.400 crore through exports.