Pyrotechnic imports from China fell 85% for year-end parties

Did you also feel that this Christmas there were fewer explosions for fireworks what other years? According to import figures collected by the Lima Chamber of Commerce (CCL), this situation could be replicated this New Year’s Eve.

According to the CCL’s Foreign Trade Research and Development Institute (Idexcam), fireworks imports to Peru reached a total of US $ 693,000 between July and November 2021, equivalent to less than a quarter of the imported value in 2019, when shipments for US $ 2.62 million were reported for this same period. Even so, the percentage this year was better than that of 2020, the initial year of the pandemic, when US $ 538,000 was registered.

The head of the Idexcam, Oscar Quinones, revealed that, during the year that perishes, only imports of pyrotechnic fires were registered in the order of 343 tons, 85% less than in 2019, when 2,246 were brought. This is even less than in 2020, when 570 arrived, a reduction of 40% compared to the prepandemic period. Almost the exclusivity of imports comes from China.

“China is the quintessential supplier of pyrotechnic products to Peru and the world. We have two other countries that have come to supply us, but with anecdotal values ​​compared to the 99.96% that the Chinese offer occupies, “said the specialist in dialogue with La República.

In this sense, Quiñones remarked that, in the face of the international crisis due to the relocation of containers, the local pyrotechnic offer has decreased “following the consumption trend of Peruvians”, who are prioritizing food, clothing and other types of basic consumer goods .

“The quantity imported to cover the Christmas and New Year campaign is extremely low: about 300 tons compared to 2,000 and a peak in 2019. The records also show that there have been no imports of fireworks in the months of November and October, something that normally occurs from July, ”he said.

Pyrotechnics: just a fair in Lima

According to the virtual registry of the National Superintendency of Control of Security Services, Arms, Ammunition and Explosives for Civil Use (Sucamec), In Metropolitan Lima, only one fair was authorized for the sale of pyrotechnic material, located in the Los Olivos district. Previous years, as you can remember, large fairs were held in different parts of the capital, such as the Costa Verde.

A source of Hotaru SAC, the company that organizes the Lima fair, acknowledged that sales this year have not been as expected despite the fact that today there are only five of its kind in all of Peru. The others are in Pucallpa, Iquitos, Huancayo and Arequipa. He blamed the import freight premiums from Asia.

“Before the pandemic, there were three fairs, located in Tres Postes, Guadalupano stadium and Vivero, in first of Pro. Precisely, because of the economic situation and not to risk with the setting up of a fair that in the end Sucamec does not authorize ( like last year, which there were none), only one was opened this year. But we were surprised with the prices, which go over 100% in everything, “he said.

Indeed, the wide range of supply of Chinese pyrotechnics triggered their prices. Cakes that were previously worth S / 55, now sell for S / 160. And customers have felt the hit.

Fireworks: weddings and festivities

However, fireworks are not only used for the end of the year festivities, such as Christmas and New Years. They also have an important market in corporate events, festivities, sporting events, and more intimate celebrations, such as a marriage, among others.

Carlos Alcázar, administrator of Pyrotechnics for all occasions, He argued that the rise in the dollar and the limitations to open a fair have prevented him from organizing this type of event since 2020, unlike in previous years. He acknowledged that for these parties he even refrained from taking steps to request products. Its market is also fed, precisely, by China.

“Orders for corporate events have dropped dramatically. If we take into account a proportion of 100% before the pandemic, the demand has fallen to 7% or 8%. For example, with the marriage cataracts, a form of cold pyrotechnics that does not burn clothes or damage the skin, we have not received any orders, neither this nor last year, ”he said.

Adex: pyrotechnics, sample button

The situation is just a sample of a bigger problem. For Rafael del Campo, president of the Foreign Trade Services Committee of the Association of Exporters (Adex), the pandemic has caused the freight to obtain a space in the shipping companies on the China route to be extraordinarily high. Freight rates that used to be around US $ 1,500 today can reach US $ 20,000.

“If you bring merchandise worth half a million dollars in a container, it may not affect much. But for other sectors, such as pisco, bringing bottles from China, given the local shortage, may represent US $ 20,000 in freight alone, plus the US $ 15,000 for the batch. Definitely, this has affected all industries “, specified the general manager of Sicher Cargo Peru SAC.

In this sense, Rafael del Campo said that he envisions a 2022 with prices for shipping freight that will remain the same or above the current record. This, due to the appearance of new variants, such as omicron, and the harsh confinement measures in the Asian giant to stop the spread of the virus in its ports.

“Shipping companies (shipowners) are definitely the ones that gained the most from this situation. There are more than 700 vessels currently being built, as well as new containers. But those ships will not be ready in 2022 and, therefore, at this time there are no ships to rent, “he lamented.

The data

• A group of companies in the sector, among which Pirotécnia stands out for all occasions, final details for the first “Eco-friendly pyrotechnic fair” of Peru, to be developed next year with the help of local governments. In it, only luminous products will be offered, although not those that make noise.
• There is also local production of fireworks, the so-called “black wick”. However, its supply is minimal compared to Chinese imports. The vast majority of these workshops are unregistered and run informally.
• The use of pyrotechnic material can affect people with different conditions, such as autism and anxiety, as well as pets and animals in the urban environment. Moderate your consumption, or opt for bright fires over explosives. The pandemic has already been difficult for everyone, don’t make it worse for others.