Kerala - Kozhikode

Subicsha set to celebrate its fifth year of stewardship

KOZHIKODE: Subicsha (Sustainable Business Development of Innovative Coconut-based Micro Enterprises for Holistic Growth and Poverty Alleviation) will mark the fifth year of its existence this October 31.

Subicsha, a 14.1-crore project exclusively for developing 43 value-added products from coconut, was implemented under the Swarna Jayanthi Gram Rozgar Yojana (SJGRY) in the Perambra block panchayat in the district. It aimed at developing an army of 7,000 women entrepreneurs in seven grama panchayats.

“We have demonstrated that products that could be developed from coconut are not only copra and coconut oil. In fact, several private enterprises sprout up seeing our success in coconut products. Our turnover for financial year 2007-08 was Rs.1.8 crore,” says M. Kunhahamed, chairman of Subicsha.

Already, it has spawned a large number of beneficiaries providing jobs directly to 4,000 women and indirectly to 3,000 women. Five years down the lane, Subicsha was planning to foray into food processing.

“Looking back, we are feeling very confident, having lined up 40 products from coconut. Our project is taken as a model project among the 84 SJGRY special projects by the National Institute for Rural Development, Hyderabad (NIRD). Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) has also chosen Subicsha of Perambra as a model for other grama panchayats as part of propaganda under the ‘Food Security scheme’ of the State government,” Mr. Kunhahamed says.

Subicsha was planning a “brand-building exercise” during the five months of celebrations to mark its fifth anniversary from October 31 to March 31, 2009. During this period, the ‘Subicsha’ brand-building will be taken up across the State. Subicsha stalls, one each in Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram, are being planned. A food centre at Perambra sticking to Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system was being planned. HACCP is a tool used by global food industry to manage risks to food safety and quality.

Another ambitious project planned is to package drinking water and sell it in the market.

“We have already given the tender for the purpose,” says Mr. Kunhahamed adding that one drinking water unit would come up within five months.

The uniqueness of the Subicsha project has been its positioning in Perambra where quality coconuts were available in plenty.

The host of institutes that are lending a helping hand to the project include Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIM-K), National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NIT-C), Coir Board, CPCRI, Kasaragod; RUBCO and Kerala Agricultural University.

Dr. Saji Gopinath, faculty member of IIM-K, had conceived the project. “All political parties and local bodies are actively supporting the project,” says Mr. Kunhahamed.

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