Beedi making may be in its extinction stage in this part of the country, but a diversification initiative launched by Kerala Dinesh Beedi (KDB), once a large beedi maker in the cooperative sector, 17 years ago has stood it in good stead.

Having survived the vicissitudes of diversification into unfamiliar sectors, the KDB Workers’ Central Cooperative Society, comprising 18 primary societies spread over Kannur and Kasaragod districts and parts of Kozhikode district, is now on course and planning to further expand its non-beedi operations.

With the decline in the once thriving  beedi production, the society’s turnover came down from Rs.100 crore to Rs.32 crore in 2007. The society has picked up the pieces since then.

“Our annual turnover today is Rs.85 crore, which is high for an MSME [micro, small, and medium enterprise] company,” society chairman C. Rajan told The Hindu .

Society’s target

The society’s target is to raise it to Rs.100 crore this year. The primary societies are being prompted to be part of the diversification initiative.

The umbrella-making unit was started with a production capacity of 20,000 umbrellas a year. The unit in last fiscal produced over one lakh umbrellas, the buyers being institutions. Started with 20 workers, it now employs 100 workers. The number of workers in its food processing unit has risen from 30 to over 100. Nearly 50 more workers will be required soon with the expansion.

The IT operations of the society, now confined to software solution, will soon enter into core-banking solutions to run ATMs of cooperative banks.

“Expansion of the apparels unit is in the pipeline as 90 per cent of our products are exported,” society secretary K. Prabhakaran said.

Shortage of operator-level workers in the apparel sector is the major handicap being faced by the unit, Mr.Prabhakaran said.

A major factor that helped the KDB society in its diversification initiative is its assets including the land and buildings it owned in the region.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Kerala /by Mohamed Nazeer / Kannur – August 14th, 2015

Native breed to step up national seafood business

Indian seafood business is on the verge of a major transformation, like the one ushered in by the exotic vannamei shrimp, with scientists at Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture, Chennai, closing in on a stock of domesticated, disease-free black tiger shrimp, native to Indian waters.

“We are into the sixth generation of SPF tiger shrimp and trial farming in Odisha and Kerala, using bio-secure enclosures, has produced good results,” said an official of Marine Products Export Development Authority here on Thursday. He said that commercial-scale aquaculture using genetically-improved black tiger shrimp should be on in about five years. With it, black tiger shrimp will join Atlantic salmon, Pacific vannamei and unisex tilapia in the roster of genetically-improved varieties. SPF stocks are capable of doubling productivity, said the official pointing out what it meant to the seafood export business in the country.

Genetically improved, farmed tilapia yield is near five tonnes per hectare; vannamei yield is 3.5 to five tonnes and black tiger shrimp yield has been three tonnes. Farmers get Rs. 300 a kg of 30-count vannamei and the price of tiger shrimp is higher.

Besides a surge in production, acquiring a genetic base for aquaculture means more eco-friendly, sustainable business, he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by K. A. Martin / Kochi – July 03rd, 2015