Firecrackers are an integral part of our Diwali Celebration. And when it comes to the celebration of Diwali in Assam, indigenous firecrackers made by the Barpeta Atasbazee Shilpa Samabay Samittee Limited have been commanding a significant market share alongside those procured from other states, especially Shivakashi. In fact, fireworks from Barpeta are also exported.
However, the wet weather also dampened the festive spirit and the sales of firecrackers.
Speaking to Business Northeast, the President of the Barpeta Atasbazee Shilpa Samabay Samittee Limited said that about 40 percent of their stocks have been left unsold due to the bad weather condition. "Our workers have worked very hard to prepare the firecrackers. However, things didn’t go as per our expectations. As much as 40 percent of our stock has been left unsold due to the bad weather condition. Besides, people are in no mood for bursting crackers this year as the place has lost a notable exponent of the Sattriya Culture."
"In previous years, we have been getting bulk orders from some regular clients, including businessmen and contractors.
However, following the death of Sattriya exponent Basistha Dev Sarma, sales have dropped significantly," he added.
The Ganakkuchi families set up a target of selling firecrackers worth Rs. 1.5 Crore this year. But some of them could not even make a profit of Rs. 50,000.
Reportedly, in the year 2019, the Barpeta cracker indigenous industry made a profit of Rs. 1.20 crores only from the Guwahati market. Besides selling in Guwahati and other districts of Assam, products are also exported to Bihar, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir.
In Guwahati, with the prevailing weather condition, firecracker dealers are facing great difficulties in the sale of their products. However, enthusiastic cracker lovers have let no barriers stop them from enjoying the festival.
“Yes, the weather is not appealing enough to celebrate the festival of lights this year, but the demand for the crackers has not witnessed much decline. Almost the same clients who use to purchase from us every year have made their orders. We started our delivery on October 23, and I can say that more than half of our items have been delivered by the evening of October 24,” said a shopkeeper in Fancy Bazaar.
Situated in the Fancy Bazaar, Agarwal Fireworks and Firecrackers is one of the leading businesses among firecracker Dealers. They are also known for Firecracker dealers, firecracker wholesalers, party product dealers, etc.
As informed by one of the employees, they also get supplies of sparklers and flower pot crackers from Barpeta. This year as many as 400 packets of sparklers and around 650 packets of flowerpot crackers were supplied by Barpeta Firecracker Industry to them. Besides, they also get supplies from Tamil Nadu and Kolkata respectively. However, as crackers are banned in Kolkata, this year they could only get the supplies from Tamil Nadu.
"Our business came into existence in 2017, and since then it has succeeded to mark its name in this field. As our business model is B2B (business-to-business), we take orders in bulk and avoid single orders," said the proprietor.
"We have tried to make our store a customer-centric point and I believe this is the reason that has managed our business to build long-term relationships with our customers. Besides, we try to give prime importance to making available those goods which are of top-notch quality," he said.
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