All the light we cannot see: Tamil Nadu’s match industry faces threat from cheap Chinese lighters

A buoyant information lucifer manufacture celebrated its centenary past year. One of the biggest occupation providers successful the confederate districts of Virudhunagar, Thoothukudi, and Tirunelveli — aft agriculture and fireworks — lucifer accumulation has been mechanised implicit the years. Yet, the manufacture remains labour-intensive, acknowledgment successful ample measurement to the smaller feeder units successful antithetic parts of these districts. Conducive climatic conditions and a beardown workforce person helped the manufacture thrive.

The communicative of however the country became a hub for manufacturing matches for the full federation is interesting. Entrepreneur cousins A. Shunmuga Nadar and P. Ayya Nadar travelled to Calcutta successful 1922 and stayed determination for 8 months to larn the know-how of lucifer manufacturing. Returning home, they opened the archetypal lucifer portion successful Sivakasi successful 1923. They reduced the dependency connected overseas exertion and imported earthy materials to marque cheaper matches.