Turkiye quake hits Firozabad glass industry, orders worth Rs 30 crore stuck

AGRA: The deadly earthquake in Turkiye has impacted the glass industry 4,500 kilometres away in Firozabad. Orders worth over Rs 30 crore have been stuck as there has been no communication with major glassware business firms based in Istanbul and Ankara, sources in the industry say.

Besides, payments worth Rs 15 crore have been delayed, as per Firozabad-based exporters.

Glass exporter and secretary of All India Glass Manufacturers Federation, Mukesh Kumar Bansal, said, "For decades, Turkiye has been a major market for Firozabad-made glassware. The annual export of glass items to the country is around Rs 100 crore. Turkiye is also a major supplier of high-quality soda ash, which is extensively used in glass manufacturing."

"After the earthquake, we have not been able to communicate with the supply agencies and business firms there. Orders worth Rs 30 crore are stuck and payments worth Rs 15 crore have been delayed. With the supply chain severely affected, it might take six months to normalise business operations. This will bring us major losses," Bansal added.

Popularly known as the "Glass City of India", the Firozabad glass industry has an estimated turnover of Rs 10,000 crore. Over six lakh people are involved in it locally. A total of 25 exporters have been actively dealing with Turkiye for the last two decades.

A senior member of the UP glass manufacturing syndicate, Deepak Gupta, said, "Currently, the glass exporters are confused. We don't know whether to continue or stop production based on pending orders from Turkiye. We are trying to get in touch with the importers." Glass items made in Firozabad which remain in high demand across Turkiye include kitchen and toilet ware, figurines, toys, science and laboratory glassware, lighting and home decor items and a wide range of exquisite objects. Chandeliers also are in high demand, exporters said.

Two powerful earthquakes hours apart on February 6 had caused widespread destruction of property and killed more than 28,000 people in Turkiye, besides leaving millions homeless.

The quakes caused significant damage to the infrastructure and logistics network of the Port of Iskenderun, one of the largest container ports in the Eastern Mediterranean region, as it remained closed for around a week. Now, a critical factor is how soon Turkiye's port system will resume clearances at normal speed, exporters said.