M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, April 23: Twenty five women of the Gulab Mahila Ajivika Utpad Sangh Satbarwa, under start-up village entrepreneur programme (SVEP), today made a commercial foray into the market with six varieties of pickles and two varieties of papad.
Launching the pickles and papad, DDC Palamu Megha Bhardwaj said the pickles are of mango, lemon, jackfruit, garlic, mixed etc each worth rupees 130 for 400 gms pack.
Similarly, papad of Urad and Moong pulses have also been launched today which comes for Rs.50 each, weighing 200 grams each.
All the eatables are branded as Palash and the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) manages it.
“Palamu has now 17 such handmade products all made by start-up women entrepreneurs,” reminded Megha Bhardwaj.
However, there are some hiccups about its marketing and sale. “People find our Palash brand somewhat high priced, little realising that ours is pure and genuine,” she said.
Sources said there is a strong need of sale outlets for these products as buyers prefer recognised products and again launching price of the eatables be first kept low than the market price.
A businessman said big companies have a fleet of marketing and promotional officers but here with Palash, it is still seen as a product by women but under the thumb of the babudom only and that is what it is not gaining public acceptance.