This case study of the match industry in Sivakasi suggests that technical knowhow and skills per se would not help a worker to benefit from his contribution to the value addition in an economic activity. To do so he needs to be able to undertake by himself all functional operations such as procuring raw materials, finance and marketing. This is highly unlikely to happen with the individual efforts of resource-poor workers, especially if their product is a day-to-day consumer item to be marketed amidst severe competition. External support in terms of finance, raw material supply, organisational umbrella, and market assistance is crucial to them.
