The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Support centre for kewra units not to be privatised

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Friday, Mar 21, 2008
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Support centre for kewra units not to be privatised

Staff Reporter

BERHAMPUR: The move to privatise the Technological Support Centre (TSC) for kewra industries functioning in Berhampur is expected to be shelved by the Central Government.

Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Mahavir Prasad promised this to Union Minister of State for Rural Development Chandra Sekhar Sahu at a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.

Speaking over phone, Mr. Sahu said the Development Commissioner of MSME would issue an official directive to this effect soon.

“Mr. Prasad has also agreed to facilitate a training centre at TSC for people involved in kewra processing in the district,” Mr. Sahu said.

It may be noted that the Development Commissioner of MSME had earlier issued a directive regarding its inability to run the TSC beyond March 2008. There were proposals to hand over the unit to any interested private body. But the Kewra Farmers’ Association and Kewra Distillers’ Association opposed the move.

The TSC, along with a testing centre for kewra extracts, was established in Berhampur in 2002 by the Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre in Kannauj. It was to provide help in marketing and value addition for kewra industries in Ganjam district.

It is quite interesting to note that four coastal blocks of Ganjam district produce more than 90 per cent of the economically viable kewra production in India. There are more than 250 kewra distilleries in the four blocks of the district to produce kewra extracts.

But till now there are no kewra-based industries in the district to produce value-based aromatic products out of kewra extracts.

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