1 Project leader
Native Women Society , section A, non-profit. Led by the DMC Congregation.
The project was set up by the economic development agency of the Government of Tamil Nadu: TANSIDCO
2 Purpose of the project
Providing regional farmers with a tool for processing and marketing their raw products.
The cluster has the presence of utilization on value added food products from different variety of native ingredients available in the area. There have effective efforts to convert value addition using the appropriate technologies from the institutions par excellence to the make the products more innovative and export oriented.
The Cluster is centered at Kovalam village in Kanyakumari located at Agasteeswaram Taluk and spreads over Rajakkamangalam, Nagercoil and part of Thovalai Taluks in the Kanyakumari District.
All the products that have been selected are natively available as raw materials in the cluster vicinity or in in abundance in the nearby districts of Tirunelveli and Tuticorin. The materials are currently sold to other parts of the country or are exported through network of middlemen and traders. The common facility centre will create an opportunity for cutting down at least two levels of middlemen in the process.
Native Women Food Products Foundation will further link with departments and skill development institutions to train and equip more women entrepreneurs in food products sector with a view to generate sustainable livelihood promotion keeping the common facility center as a training cum incubation center.
The major association and the key stakeholder of the cluster is Kanyakumari Women Food Products Group promoted by Stella Maris Institute of Development Studies comprising of women entrepreneurs dealing with food products sector.It has members drawn from MSMEs engaged in processing of food products from banana, moringa, honey, grains and a number of manufacturers of agro productsetc. The Group provides information and sharing knowledge about the emerging trends in the food processing industry with value added products with export promotion to its members and supports studies to constantly understand the changing eating preferences of the citizens. The group has 29 MSME registered units and 563 members comprising of mix of food products with high potential focused on women entrepreneurship.
3 Production of the project
Several production lines are planned:
- Honey house
- Amlas
- Energy cookies and bars
- Products derived from moringa, powder, tablets, capsules and oil
- Ayurvedic fruit and plant treatment
4 Project funding
4.1 DMC Congregation / Native Women
4.2 Government of Tamil Nadu
Total project ₹ 36 739 907
5 Project management
5.1 A control committee constituted by
- A representative of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
- A representative of TANSIDCO, the economic development agency of Tamil Nadu.
- Two delegates from the Congregation.
5.2 An operational management made up of three people:
- A general manager
- A purchasing/logistics/production director
- A marketing director / digital marketing / sales and commercial relations
- Outsourcing:
- Quality / Research, Development
- Machine maintenance
6 Direct jobs and induced jobs
6.1 Direct jobs
- 20 production employees
- 2 employees cleaning the premises
- 3 managers
6.2 Indirect jobs
- Around 1,400 farmers are involved in the territory to supply the Center