ITC All Set to Source Agarbattis From Orissa

Source from:  Express India 10/13/2009

Tobacco major ITC Ltd will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Orissa government on Wednesday to source raw agarbatti from women self-help groups (WSHGs) in the state. The Orissa Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS), an organisation under the state government, will facilitate the procurement on behalf of the WSHGs. ITC is committed to purchase 50 tonne of raw agarbatti (without essence) from the primary producers from this month, according to government sources. The company will establish perfuming and packaging centres in the state to add value to the raw agarbatti. ORMAS executive director BN Das said the market tie-up with ITC will generate additional livelihood to more than 3,200 rural women members of 181 WSHGs in 15 selected blocks of five districts in the state. To start with, the agarbatti will be sourced from 46 WSHGs having 420 members of five blocks of the tribal dominated Khandhamal district, he added. ORMAS, which had started providing marketing linkage for agarbatti producers in rural Orissa, in 2007 has so far facilitated sale of 20 tonne of rolled agarbatti to Jayanti Domestic Products Pvt Ltd, an approved vendor of ITC. Enditem