Photo: VCG

Zhengzhou in Central China's Henan Province on Tuesday partly lifted the ban on fireworks for the 2023 Spring Festival. Sales and prices immediately surged but local distributors were faced with a shortage of supply. 

A representative surnamed Zhang from Henan Yuguan Fireworks Co in Zhengzhou told the Global Times on Wednesday that he had received a large number of phone calls from local fireworks distributors. He predicted that the overall sales for his company in the 2023 Spring Festival may see a 30 to 40 percent increase year-on-year. 

The Zhengzhou government said in an official document unveiled on Tuesday that fireworks and firecrackers will be available for a limited time period and can be used in certain areas of the city during the Spring Festival holidays. 

The government issued the last fireworks restriction in 2016, which banned fireworks across nine districts of the city. 

However, the relatively late adjustment left little time to prepare for distributors in Zhengzhou as demand suddenly soared. "The application for a 2023 fireworks business license just became available on Wednesday, and there is a supply gap for Zhengzhou's fireworks market," said Zhang. 

"The current supply shortage is being seen nationwide this year," Bu Jianhua, representative of Liuyang Huanle Shike Fireworks Co, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Fireworks produced in Liuyang in Central China's Hunan Province accounted for over 85 percent of the domestic market share, and over 60 percent of global volume. However, the local firework output capacity in 2022 was damaged due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"The prices of some popular fireworks saw a fourfold and even fivefold increase recently, but there are still buyers," said Bu, adding that the revenue for his company will be greatly boosted.