Fijians will have to pay more to buy fireworks this time around due to the high freight costs of fireworks.

This was highlighted by former Suva Retailers Association President and Mahesh Syndicate General Manager Vinay Kumar.

Kumar says fireworks are considered hazardous materials and their associated costs, such as transportation, compliance and global inflation, impact fireworks purchases.

He says there are limited retailers selling fireworks this year due to high costs.

Mahesh Syndicate Managing Director states that the fireworks that many people grew up with are no longer sold due to safety restrictions.

“We only have a few types of products you can import right now: cakes and fountains. And we’re basically expanding the product line with small, small pili crackers and things like that. But the amount we can import is very limited. We cannot import the things we grow. We are limited to this. “I applied to the Ministry of Mineral Resources to deal with this issue.”

Kumar adds that sales of fireworks have decreased post-pandemic as people focus on purchasing Diwali essentials such as food, prayer items and clothes.

The former Suva Retailer President adds that they do not import cheap fireworks where quality is an issue that could endanger people’s safety.

He is hopeful of positive sales this festive season despite the high cost of some products.