The dragon this Diwali is lying low as far as the crackers are concerned.
The Chinese crackers have been one of the major concerns for the Indian manufacturers in the last few years.
The high decibel and colourful China-made crackers had given the local manufacturers a tough time. The presence was strong and it was perceived as a potential threat to the Indian fireworks industry.
But following a ban on high decibel crackers, the markets have almost turned a deaf ear to the Chinese crackers this year. The Chinese crackers contain chlorate or potassium, which make them highly inflammable and blistering.
Most of these crackers cross the permissible noise level set by the Pollution Control Board of India.
"There is ban on some Chinese crackers which cross the permissible noise-level. We are trying to make sure that those crackers do not sell in the market," says Arun Kampany, DCP licensing, Delhi Police.
The wholesalers and retailers are finding it better to do business with the local brands rather than to deal in the Chinese ones.
"The local brands are giving us reasonable profits. Both quality-wise and price-wise, the local crackers are better than the Chinese crackers," says Virender Chawla, a wholesaler here.
"The Chinese crackers cannot be an alternative to the good local brands. People accept them not because of their quality, but because they are cheaper," he adds.
Those in the fireworks trade say the amount of business done during Diwali is anybody's guess. However, according to industry sources, Sivakasi, the fireworks capital of the country, did a business of over Rs 700 crore last year.
With such a business volume, the Indian industry seems to be on an upward swing.
But many customers don't seem to be impressed with the Indian crackers. "The Chinese crackers give a bigger bang at a price easy on pocket and they are more colourful too," says Sanjay Prakash, a buyer.
The customers, already in lure of the China-made crackers, are finding it difficult to put up with the locally made crackers.
"The good Chinese crackers have disappeared from the market this year. Therefore I will have to settle with the local crackers this time," says Umesh Chander, another buyer.
However, some manufacturers are trying to pass off their products as Chinese made. A number of local manufacturers have dished out their products in boxes carrying pictures of dragons to give the Chinese look.
But these dragons don't spew the kind of fire people look for, neither have they good sound.
"We are not keeping the cheap local made crackers that look like Chinese items. Customers do not like to compromise with quality to save a few rupees," says Prakash Gupta, a retailer of crackers.
