The Forest Department’s interpretation centre at Top Slip will soon start selling door mats woven by Adivasi women who reside in settlements inside the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR).
The ATR administration has purchased a mat weaving machine and installed it at the training centre at Top Slip where Adivasi women from nearby tribal settlements have started learning the basics of mat weaving.
M.G. Ganesan, Deputy Director of Pollachi division of ATR, inaugurated the tribal welfare activity on Friday.
A total of 35 women from Erumaparai and Kozhikamuthi tribal settlements have enrolled to get training in door mat weaving. In the beginning, the training is given to 10 women by a Madurai-based non-governmental organisation.
Mr. Ganesan said that the Department purchased the machine at a cost of ₹20,000.
“If the women do well, we will consider buying more mahcines. A trained person can weave 200 door mats in a week. If a mat is sold for ₹40, a person generate around ₹8,000 in a week, against the cost of ₹2,000 for the raw material,” he said.
He added that ATR is also planning to introduce door mats woven with lemon grass.
Ulandy forest range officer A. Kasilingam said that the door mats are woven using textile waste sourced from Tiruppur.
“Soon we are expecting to keep them for sale at the interpretation centre. The revenue from the sales will go to the tribal women,” he said.
