The Hindu : Business : Angamaly garments cluster to be expanded

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Friday, Mar 17, 2006

Business

Business

Angamaly garments cluster to be expanded

Staff Reporter

Plan to generate employment for 500 women

Proposal before Industries Department Cluster has raw material bank, training centre A portion of the production is exported

KOCHI: The Angamaly garments cluster, currently having 73 units, plans to expand the facility to generate employment for 500 women. The proposal for expanding membership has been put up before the State Industries Department and it is expected to be cleared.

The cluster, one of the first ventures in the State to use a common facility for several homogenous production units, has completed its first year on a high as indicated by the improving performance of the units.

Gracy Thomas, Managing Director of the cluster, said on Thursday that it was opened with seven members. There were 73 units that operated under the cluster, which had a common raw material bank and a common training centre.

The major products from the cluster include shirts, churidars and other women and kids' wear. While most of the production is sold through direct market groups locally, a portion is also exported. Sales turnover during the year has helped the units to make their bank loan repayments without any arrears. A total investment of over Rs. 54 lakhs has gone into setting up the garments cluster.

Of the total investments, Rs. 25 lakhs has been taken by the units as term loan from the Union Bank of India under a Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) scheme. A sum of Rs. 5 lakhs has come as cluster margin money from the State Government and the remaining portion has come as beneficiary contributions.

Ms. Thomas said the units produced 150 shirts and 25 computer designed saris on a daily basis.

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