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Home › Keralam › Keralam Industries

Keralam Industries

Kollam is a centre for cashew processing and Alappuzha for coir. Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram and Infopark in Kochi host IT companies, Cochin Shipyard builds and repairs ships, including India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, and the new Vizhinjam port handles container ships.

The Keralam State Industrial Development Corporation and KINFRA develop industrial parks.

Key industries

  • Tourism
  • IT and software
  • Spices and food processing
  • Rubber
  • Cashew and coir
  • Shipbuilding

Specialties of Keralam

Spices: pepper and cardamom

Keralam's spices brought traders from Arabia, China and Europe for centuries. Black pepper is grown on vines climbing the trees of Wayanad, Idukki and the hills, and green cardamom in the cool Cardamom Hills of Idukki. The Spices Board of India is based in Kochi.

Coir

Coir, the fibre from coconut husks, is spun and woven into mats, rugs, ropes and geotextiles, above all around Alappuzha and along the backwaters. Much of the work is done by women in small units and cooperatives. The Coir Board, set up by the Government of India, has its headquarters in Kochi and runs research and training in Alappuzha.

Help for entrepreneurs and local industries

Every district has a District Industries Centre (DIC), run by the state's industries department. It is the first place to go to register a unit, to apply for the state's incentives and subsidies, and for help with central schemes such as PMEGP.

From the Keralam government

From the Government of India

  • Udyam Registration: free online registration for micro, small and medium enterprises, with an Aadhaar number; the Udyam certificate is needed for most MSME schemes and for priority-sector bank loans
  • Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP): loans to start a new micro enterprise, with a government subsidy of 15 to 35 per cent of the project cost (higher in rural areas and for women, SC/ST and other special categories); apply through the District Industries Centre or the Khadi and Village Industries Commission
  • Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana: loans without collateral from banks, small finance banks and microfinance institutions: Shishu up to Rs 50,000, Kishor up to Rs 5 lakh, Tarun up to Rs 10 lakh, and Tarun Plus up to Rs 20 lakh for those who have repaid a Tarun loan
  • Stand-Up India: bank loans of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore to set up a new enterprise, for women and for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe entrepreneurs
  • Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE): guarantees bank loans to micro and small enterprises, so they can borrow without collateral or a third-party guarantee
  • Startup India: recognition by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, which brings tax and patent benefits, the Startup India Seed Fund and mentoring
  • PM Vishwakarma: for artisans and craftspeople in 18 traditional trades: recognition, skill training with a stipend, a toolkit grant and low-interest loans without collateral
  • PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME): for small food-processing units: a 35 per cent credit-linked subsidy (up to Rs 10 lakh a unit), seed capital for self-help groups, and help with branding and marketing
  • Government e-Marketplace (GeM): sell goods and services online to government departments and public sector companies
  • MSME Samadhaan: file a case when a buyer has not paid a micro or small enterprise within 45 days
  • MSME Champions: the Ministry of MSME's help desk for complaints and problems with finance, approvals and markets
  • MSME Development and Facilitation Offices: the Ministry of MSME's offices in every state: advice, training, testing and the ministry's schemes
  • Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI): the bank for small industries: loans, and refinance through other lenders
  • National Single Window System: one place to apply for central approvals and licences, and for many states' approvals
  • One District One Product: promotes a chosen product of each district, with help to find buyers and export
  • NIESBUD: the national institute for entrepreneurship training, under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
  • myScheme: search central and state government schemes by state, occupation and other details

Schemes, limits and subsidies change with each budget: check the official site before applying.

Sources

Summarised from the state's industrial policy and the official profiles linked below. Specialties: Spices: pepper and cardamom (Geographical Indication: Malabar Pepper, Alleppey Green Cardamom; One District One Product: Idukki (spices)).

Reference links