Raw material banks to be set up in the state

KOZHIKODE: Taking a cue from the overwhelming response received by the raw material bank in the capital, the Kairali Arts and Crafts of Kerala,under the Handicrafts Development Corporation of Kerala, is all set to launch four more similar initiatives in the state. The new centres will come up at Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur.The Corporation will also revive the raw material bank in Thiruvananthapuram.The Central Handicraft Board has sanctioned Rs 2 crore for the Handicrafts Development Corporation to set up new raw material banks.“There are around 2,250 artisans working in the state. They all depend on the raw material bank in Thiruvananthapuram. Four more centres in the state would provide the artisans easy access to raw materials,” saidMohandas, manager of the Kairali Arts and Crafts, Kozhikode. “We have received Rs 1 crore for the initial procurement of raw materials and finding go-downs. The remaining amount will be sanctioned when the utility certificate for the already sanctioned money is submitted,” he added.The bank would provide raw materials to artisans at a discount of 25 percent. “The artisans will get good quality wood for their work from the raw material bank. If they depend on private entities they may get cheaper wood but it would be of low quality,” said K Radhakrishna Pillai, Managing Director of  Handicrafts Development Corporation of Kerala Ltd.For the artisans who find it difficult to procure exotic wood like sandal, the raw material bank will be a great relief. Rosewood, white cedar, teak wood and sandal wood will be procured by the raw material bank from the Forest Department through auctions. “We sell wood worth around Rs 10,000 a week to artisans. Though they would not get a huge reduction in price for  wood from the bank, the subsidy makes it worth for the artisans,” said Ashok Kumar, an artisan working at the Common Facilities Service Centre at Thiruvananthapuram.