Almost 50pc of the matchbox industry has witnessed a closure, rendering 700 employees jobless, it was learnt. Owners complain that the KP’s match industry couldn’t be restored to its full-scale production level despite billions of rupees worth funding by domestic and international agencies in the province during the last 10 years. These are Top Star Matches, The Frontier, Afghan Matches, Aalm Matches, Bilour Matches and Sher Matches. The matchstick units that are currently working include Venice Matches, Mohsen Matches, Pak Matches, Iqbal Matches, Asim Matches, Khyber Matches, and Ashraf Matchbox Factory in the Peshawar Industrial Estate. As major banks were not releasing loans to the businesses in KP, all industries including match units had adversely affected.

Source: Pakistan Today March 06, 2020 16:41 UTC