Exposure Visit to Cast Aloe Vera Fibre Plant, Kallakad and Thirumathi Vaazhalainaar Porutkal Producer Limited, Kallur

On 8.08.2023 an Exposure Visit to "Cast Aloe Vera Fibre Plant, Kallakad and Thirumathi Vaazhalainaar Porutkal Producer Limited, Kallur” was organized by the Entrepreneurship Development Cell of Management Studies department and IIC of Francis Xavier Engineering College. The visit was arranged for II year MBA students from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm wherein 54 students and 3 faculties participated in the exposure visit. Dr.V.M.Sangeetha, EDC coordinator of Management Studies, Francis Xavier Engineering College coordinated the visit.

First the students visited Aloe vera fibre plant at Kallakad. This plant belongs to the cottage industry run by a Non Government Organization “CAST”. Students were guided by the Director of the plant. Initially students visited Aloe Vera Extraction plant. Manually and with machines fibres were extracted from Aloe Vera Plant. In this unit students got opportunity to observe dyeing of final products and packaging of products. After visiting the extraction process unit the students visited the second unit where the fibre is used to make products which can be used for making some useful products.

After this the students visited the third unit where the students saw the decorative products made out of banana fibre and palm leaves which can be used in the house. For making key chain dolls, pouches, vegetable baskets and other home used products are produced with the aloe vera, palm leaves and banana stem waste. Students enjoyed the exposure visit which helped them to know the business opportunities in the aloe vera, palm leaf and banana fibre.

In the afternoon students were taken to Thirumathi Vaazhainaar Porutkal Producer unit in Kallur near Cheranmahadevi. In this particular unit, around 30 women workers were working and making hand made products using Vaazhainaar. They were using long moulds to make the product. In this unit students were able to see how fibres were extracted from vaazhai thadai and using moulds manually. At the end of the visit students got an idea to become an entrepreneur using the locally available materials.