The regular power cuts across Tamil Nadu have been a blessing in disguise for candle manufacturers as well as traders. With power outages becoming frequent, religious shrines and householders have turned to these traditional energy sources to fulfil their need for light, even as they have to endure the heat and humidity in these dogs days of summer. "Certainly the demand for candles for basic lighting inside both places of worship and households has gone up in the past fortnight due to power cuts in the state," candle maker C A Wahab told TOI.
However, the profit margin from sale of candles is a modest 10%, he said, considering that prices of paraffin wax, the basic raw material, have been fluctuating with crude oil prices. "The cost of wax has been varying from Rs 82,000 per tonne to Rs 85,000 per tonne depending on the market," he said.
Wahab buys around 500 kg of wax every month. The wax has to be melted at 65 degrees centigrade and colours are mixed in powder form at this stage to produce the attractive array of candles used in churches, for birthdays and funeral ceremonies.
There are an estimated 400 candle manufacturing units in the state with their sales turnovers aggregating Rs 2 to 3 lakhs per month, market sources said. Candles are generally cheaper than earthen lamps lit with ghee, til or mustard oil with the prices of the oils going up steadily pushed by the general inflation.