VIRUDHUNAGAR: Welcoming the central government’s restrictions on the import of parts of cigarette lighters, matchstick manufacturers in Tamil Nadu sought a complete ban on single-use plastic lighters to prevent the industry from phasing out.
According to sources, most of the matchstick production units in the country are in Virudhunagar and Thoothukudi. Nearly five lakh people, mostly women and migrant workers from Assam, Bihar, Odisha, and UP, depend on the industry for livelihood.
Speaking to TNIE, Tamil Nadu Matches Manufacturers’ Association president S Lakshmanan said, “The industry contributes about Rs 1200 crore as GST and Rs 200 crore as income tax annually. However, the advent of cigarette lighters in the Indian market has dampened the 100-year-old business in the region.”
He further said, “Earlier, as the cost to manufacture lighters were increasing due to CIF value, business persons in the Northern states procured parts, refilled them, and sold it at a lesser price.”
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