Agartala

ITC has decided to source agarbattis from Tripura, which is one of the major producers of bamboo sticks in the country. This is in response to a call by the Chief Minister of Tripura, Mr Manik Sarkar, for greater industry participation in making local businesses more competitive. ITC will source its requirement for agarabattis from Jayanti Domestic Products (JDP), a local, small-scale manufacturer and market it across the country under its Mangaldeep brand. JDP's agarabatti-making unit was inaugurated by the Chief Minister on Tuesday, May 17th. Mr R Srinivasan, Member, Corporate Management Committee, ITC, and Mr V M Rajasekharan, Divisional Chief Executive, Agarbattis, ITC, were present.

ITC aims to enhance the competitiveness of the small and medium scale sectors in the region through its complementary R&D based product development and marketing strengths, especially the breadth and depth of the Company's trade marketing and distribution. This is ITC's first such initiative for Agarbattis in eastern India.

The Tripura Government has taken a major initiative to boost bamboo quality and production in the state in partnership with the Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS), the nodal agency for managing, monitoring and disbursing funds for such projects. The Engineering Resource Group of Bangalore is the implementation and consulting agency for the project.