Kancheepuram: Orchid Trust, a corporate social responsibility division of pharma major Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd, has set up a unit to produce bio-fertilizers and biocontrol agents for fisherwomen at Pattipulam, a coastal village in the district.

Christened as 'Development Organisation for Fisherwomen's Empowerment and Livelihood (DOFWEL)', the unit has been established with a seed capital of Rs 77 lakh and jointly funded by the Orchid Trust, the Rural Development Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Asian Development Bank, according to a communication from the trust.

The unit will produce 50 MT of Trichoderma, 33 MT of Pseudomonas, 33 MT of Azopirillium and 34 MT of phosphobacteria per annum. The fertilizers produced in the unit will be marketed through the trust's outlets in the district. The Department of Botany, University of Madras, will offer technical support apart from Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals. Around 100 persons from the tsunami-hit regions in the district, including economically backward women, are expected to be benefited through the project.

The beneficiaries are yet to be identified and a survey will be conducted among the six self-help groups.

AlertNet Sep 28

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