Chinese check leaves state’s sports goods
industry in a spin
If you were looking for a racket to play that wicked top-spin during a game of table tennis post lock down, you might have to wait.
The double whammy of Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan and the political tension with China has hit the availability of sports good accessories, most of which are imported from China.
The industry for fitness accessories and equipment in the country is valued at Rs.7,500-Rs.8,000 crore. While Tamil Nadu contributes Rs.350cr-Rs.400cr a year to it, the majority of the revenue comes from Chennai and Coimbatore.
Chandra Kumar Chopda, owner of Pavilion Sports shop near Chepauk and patron of Sports Goods Dealers Association of Tamil Nadu (SGDAT), said there will be a 50% fall in net income even if markets open later this year. Adding to their woes, a few Chinese goods are still in transit because of the state borders being sealed. “When the lockdown was eased in early June, we sold 500 carrom boards a day. Now, we have run out of stock and there is a huge demand for these indoor sports items,” Chopda told TOI.
With no outdoor sports allowed for nearly four months, the shops have been unable to sell bats, gloves, helmets and pads among other cricket items which contribute 70% of their revenue. Under the circumstances, though, there is a massive demand for badminton rackets, carrom boards, small table tennis boards, volleyball and fitness accessories like skipping ropes, dumbbells, yoga mats, exercise and swiss balls and gym plates. But there is no Adequate supply of these products from China.
The crises has affected the wholesalers too. SGDAT president and Sports Suppliers Madras owner Sanjay Jain said wholesalers have been forced to shift their business model to ‘cash and carry’ as they are unable to collect money from retailers with most of the shops remaining closed. “With the supply chain being hit, the other alternatives are to import goods from Taiwan and Korea or to make it in India. But the problem is that the Indians products are a bit expensive,” said Jain.
Chopda, though, feels making products in India in a jiffy will be a challenge. “China has the capacity to produce 1 million pieces a day while it is only 3000 in India. Two decades back, rackets were made in Chennai. But once China started to market their products at cheap rates, it killed our manufacturing units,” he says.
