The story
Match-making came to southern Tamil Nadu in the 1920s and spread through Sivakasi, Sattur, Kovilpatti and Kalugumalai, with a second centre at Gudiyatham near Vellore. The dry climate suits the drying of splints and boxes, and the work was done in small cottage units, largely by women. Mechanised units have since taken a growing share. Several common facility centres were set up to help small units compete.
In numbers
Safety Match Industries Cluster common facility centres at Gudiyatham, Kalugumalai, Kovilpatti, Sattur, Srivilliputhur and Virudhunagar are listed as completed under MSE-CDP.
Completed Common Facility Centres under MSE-CDP (as on 22 Mar 2024), Office of DC-MSME · 2024A Member of Parliament stated that around 3,500 handmade safety-match units in Sattur, Kovilpatti, Sivakasi, Virudhunagar and Srivilliputhur provide livelihood to about 2 lakh people.
Lok Sabha debate record on safety match industry — Digital Sansad
Ways in for a newcomer
- Supply of splints, veneer and chemicals to match units
- Packaging and label printing
- Mechanised box-filling job-work
- Trading and distribution of branded matches
Problems the cluster faces
- GST rate changes and cheap lighters cut demand
- Rain spoils drying and stops production
- Shift to machines reduces cottage jobs
- Raw material (wood, chemicals) cost increases