Kerala candle industry groping in dim light

Kochi, May 24 (UNI) The rising prices of petroleum and bye-products has put another cottage industry - candle manufacturing- into crisis in Kerala where thousands of Christian churches use candles massively, say the industry leaders.

About two lakh workers mostly women were directly employed in about 5000 manufacturing units in the State to cater to the churches and the Christian families who frequently use candles for prayers, Kerala Candle Manufacturers' Association said.

The prices of paraffin wax, the raw material for the candles, have gone up by Rs 20,000 per tonne in the last six months, as the result of hike in petroleum. This has led the industry into a near-halt,'' Association president C R Salimkumar told newsmen here today.

The State needed about 20,000 tonnes of paraffin wax as raw material an year with more candle unites being set up under self-help groups of Kudumbasree and khadi industry, Association secretary K R Dasan said.

The rising prices of the raw material have also forced us to hike the prices of candles which we are contemplating now to tide over the crisis,'' he said, seeking the help of the Centre and the State to save the cottage industry.

The customs duty of 34 per cent on the imported wax and 16 per cent of excise duty on the wax produced by the Chennai Refineries were paid, as another reason contributing to the crisis, they claimed.

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