THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a bid to promote the industry sector, Industries Minister P Rajeev has announced a slew of measures, including the strengthening of the department eco-system, in the state. He said that special attention will be given to small-scale industries to ensure they get market access.
The minister announced that the proposed Unity Mall at the Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram will have the space to promote regional products, especially those having a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
“All the states can showcase their products at the Unity Mall. Products of the MSMEs and those under the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme in the state can be sold at the Mall,” Rajeeve said after inaugurating a Business to Business (B2B) meet organised by the Department of industries and Commerce at the Putharikandam Maidanam.
The minister will be presenting the Unity Mall project before the Centre on Friday at the World Food India 2023 expo in New Delhi. Rajeev also announced that Kinfra will open its first International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Kochi by December. He also spoke about the measures initiated by the government to support small businesses in branding, insurance coverage, etc. The industries department has started providing ‘Made in Kerala’ branding to about 2,400 coconut oil companies.
Insurance schemes have been implemented for MSME units in collaboration with companies in the public sector. “The department is working on an ambitious programme in concert with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to facilitate MSMEs to reach out and tap faraway markets,” said Suman Billa, principal secretary (industries).
Stalls at the B2B event
Various companies, ranging from PSUs such as Keltron to small-scale pickle manufacturing units, have set up 400 stalls in eight venues in the city to showcase their products. Around 36 GI products from the state are on display at the B2B expo. As many as 86 potential buyers from across the country have registered for the event. The water resources department has set up a large model of the Idukki reservoir to explain the functions of a dam.