AKVIB back to old glory on cotton production!

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Jan 25: Assam Khadi and Village Industries Board (AKVIB) has changed back to its old glory, at least on one front. For the past 10-12 years, the board had been importing cotton clothes from West Bengal to make the tiol Flag in Assam in the run-up to every Republic Day and Independence Day. However, this year the Board has produced cotton cloth locally and engaged the weavers who are under its disposal to weave the Tricolour.

This development is the outcome of an appeal made by State Fince Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to the Board at a Gandhi Jayanti function in 2016 to produce cotton in its own production centres and engage the local weavers to make the Tricolour.     

Efforts are also on to revive cotton yarn production in the board. The board has as many as 47 production centres.

According to a source in the board, the demand of tiol Flag has not fallen down in the State. However, Tricolours made of plastic and other materials by organizations other than Khadi Board have their impact on the market in the State. The board has as many as 45 outlets in the State, including three in Guwahati,” the source said.

Talking to this reporter, board’s marketing in-charge Chittaranjan Baruah said: “We make the tiol Flags in six different dimensions – 6 ft X 4ft costing Rs 500 apiece, 3 ft X 4.5 ft costing Rs 370 apiece, 2 ft X 3 ft costing Rs 200 apiece, 1.5 ft & 2.25 ft costing Rs 130 apiece, 1 ft X 1.5 ft costing Rs 90 apiece and 6 inch X 9 inch (car flags) costing Rs 60 apiece. Till January 21 this year we have sold as many as 5,493 pieces of flags worth Rs 10,36,360 – the break-up being 608 pieces of the dimension 6 ft X 4ft, 962 pieces of the dimension 3 ft X 4.5 ft, 719 pieces of the dimension 2 ft X 3 ft, 399 pieces of the dimension 1.5 ft X 2.25 ft, 415 pieces of the dimension 1 ft X 1.5 ft and 2390 pieces of the dimension 6 inch X 9 inch – against flags worth over Rs 11.33 lakh during the corresponding period last year. On the Independence Day last year, we sold flags worth Rs 17 lakh.”

On marketing of the flags, Baruah said: “We’ve a widespread marketing network with as many as 45 outlets in different areas in the State. We’ve have set a sales target of tiol Flags worth Rs 12 lakh in this Republic Day, and on the eve of the Republic Day the figure rose to over Rs 11.45 lakh. We may hit the target by this evening.”