Made-in-China lights rule capital’s Diwali markets
BHUBANESWAR: In spite of anti-China sentiment, city markets are flooded with lights and decorative items carrying the ‘made in China’ tag.
Following the state government’s ban on crackers, people are buying Chinese lights due to their variety and low price. “Shops are flooded with Chinese products. When I asked for the price of an India-made fairy light string, I found it was thrice as costly as the Chinese lights. People are least bothered about the durability of the products as long as they are cheap,” said Santosh Panda, a customer.
Shops in the city’s markets are selling a huge variety of lights — from fairy lights and LED bulbs to electric lamps, paper lamps, candles, multi-colour bulbs and LED diyas. All are made in China.
Sources said a 20-metre Chinese fairy light string costs Rs 50 whereas an India-made light of the same length costs around Rs130. Similarly, China-made products in the price range of Rs 40-50 to Rs 500 offer more choice to buyers.
“I bought diyas from local terracotta artisans, but when it comes to spending on lights, I was forced to select Chinese ones for their cheap prices. If the government wants people to buy local products, it must ensure that the Chinese products are not available in the market,” said Subhashree Mishra, a customer.
A few shops in Unit-1 market, which have stocked both Indian and Chinese products said Indian products were of better quality and more durable. “Many customers who are aware buy Indian lights because they know these products are made of good quality copper wire and will last for years,” said Rajkishore Sahu, another shop owner.
Shopkeepers said anti-China sentiment and the Prime Minister’s call for Atmanirbhar Bharat ensured that fewer Chinese products were available in the market. But the pandemic’s financial impact means people will buy cheaper lights, said Manoranjan Patra, a shop-keeper in Unit-IV market.