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| Sunday, 21 August 2005 |
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Business |  |
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Joss sticks industry loses 'fragrance' by Surekha Galagoda Joss sticks manufacturing, once a very lucrative cottage industry is struggling for survival due to lack of labour and support from the government. In the event the government reduces the import duty on perfume and boxboard and streamlines the process of obtaining raw material and labour the industry can provide jobs and compete in the world market, a manufacturer said. At present perfume is taxed at 32 percent and this tax applies to everybody and when added up it is almost 50 percent. The industry employs about 10,000 people but many more can be absorbed, the spokesman said. At present there are only about five large scale manufacturers in the country while others have put up shutters. Though we have our own manufacturing facility where we employ staff most of the work which is labour intensive is sub contracted. Today we have to take the raw materials as far as Siripura because we cannot find people close to Colombo, to manufacture the joss sticks by rolling them by hand, he said. He said that once a person is trained he can even make 10,000 joss sticks a day but most people make only around 3,000 per day. as this can be done during a person's spare time it is lucrative but most people don't like to do it due to various reasons such as laziness and other social factors. In the event the wages are stipulated we will be in a better position to retain people but since the industry is registered under the Cottage Industries Act this is not permitted, an official said. He said even Samurdhi beneficiaries are not interested in making joss sticks continuously though they start enthusiastically. It is a very good self-employment venture but unfortunately laziness and social factors prevent people from taking to this job. Since the raw materials are natural there is no health hazard and a person who takes up this job will not have to follow a rigid routine such as garment factory workers. In countries such as India and China incentives are given to manufacturers while there are subjects such as perfume making included at degree level courses even in India. However, we have to learn everything by trial and error method. Even the joss stick manufacturers in Sri Lanka import the perfume from India. In India special areas are allocated to grow bamboo for the industry while there is plenty of labour available. The Indian government has given every possible support for the industry which has helped them to capture a sizeable market in Sri Lanka. Personally I have experienced that shop keepers promote the Indian joss sticks. If this situation continues there won't be any cottage industries that our country can be proud of in the near future. He said getting the gum and bamboo is difficult due to bureaucracy. The gum has to be collected from a particular tree which grows in the Sinharaja Forest. There are collectors who bring it but it is an offence to collect the fruits which get spoilt under the trees. Felling of bamboo too is difficult but if there is a permit system then it will solve the problem between officials and suppliers. The spokesman said that he even lost a export order to China due to the
indifference of people. He said that if we don't change our mindset and
adopt a policy like buy Indian and support the cottage industries in a few
years time the country will have to depend solely on imports. |
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