Madurai: The Tamil Nadu government is considering taking up with the Centre a long-pending demand from Sivakasi fireworks manufacturers to reclassify fireworks as “low-risk pyrotechnic devices” instead of “low-hazard explosives” to improve export prospects.
Industries minister Keerthana said the current classification was hampering exports, as foreign ports and shipping operators were reluctant to handle consignments categorised as hazardous explosives.
Speaking after a consultation with fireworks manufacturers in Virudhunagar, the minister said the state government was keen to help Sivakasi compete with China in overseas markets and would examine the possibility of framing a legal export policy. “When I visited Korea and spoke about Sivakasi’s fireworks industry, there was considerable interest. We have since received an invitation. Similarly, a customer from Poland has expressed interest in importing goods worth ₹6,000 crore. So there is potential for exports,” she said.
The demand follows representations from manufacturers who argue that Sivakasi fireworks are often treated as highly dangerous cargo because they fall under the hazardous category in the Explosives Rules, 2008. “We would like the state government to take up a nomenclature change with the Centre, as the present classification makes it difficult to secure clearances from local authorities and importing countries,” said fireworks manufacturer K Balaji.
T Kannan, president of The Indian Fireworks Manufacturers’ Association, said Sivakasi fireworks do not ignite due to ambient heat and catch fire only when lit. Reclassification, he said, could help open up markets in the US, Gulf countries, the UK and Europe, which currently rely heavily on Chinese products.
However, P N Deva of the Fireworks and Matchbox Manufacturers’ Association said the demand had remained unresolved for years, and that support from the Union government was yet to materialise. He noted that a proposal to facilitate exports through special containers from Thoothukudi port was shelved, leaving Mumbai, nearly 1,500 km away, as the primary export gateway.
Manufacturers also sought changes to the industry’s Orange Category classification, training for inspection officials, an appeal mechanism against licence revocation and revision of sulphur-based turnover calculations.
The minister said the state government would also examine issues related to GST, geographical indication (GI) tagging, infrastructure support for lorry and loadmen associations outside Sivakasi, and the introduction of a single-window clearance system.
