Firecracker factories in Ahmedabad face losses amid COVID-19

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], October 27 : Despite the reopening of the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses like firecracker factories in Ahmedabad continue to face financial difficulties even as the festival of Diwali approaches.
According to Bagban Yadim Kasambai, a firecracker factory owner, he had to lay off his staff due to reduced demand.
"This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have not yet received any orders. Every year, we usually employ about 25-30 workers to meet demands but we have only hired 12 workers this year. We don't even have any work for them as there are no orders," the fifth-generation firecracker maker told ANI.
"We usually start production in June and continue till Diwali. This year too we started in June hoping that by now things would be a little better. However, it seems people don't want to buy firecrackers. We are planning to close production in the next four to five days," he added.