Khadi’s Samayapuram unit rolls out herbal soap Kumari

At present, the bathing soap bars produced here were being supplied to Khadi Craft, Public Distribution outlets and the prisons across the state. The new unit produces as many as 50,000 pieces a day and plans were on to increase the capacity soon. 

Since 2014, the Tamil Nadu Khadi and Village Industries Board has been undertaking production of various herbal beauty care products and commodities. To give a boost to such cottage industries, former chief minister J Jayalalithaa allotted Rs 2.5 crore for establishing a modern soap production unit at Samayapuram on the Khadi and Village Industries Board premises. 

Construction of a modern unit for making herbal soap commenced on an area of 6,000 sq ft. Separate machineries for mixing raw materials for soap production and automatic packing were installed in the unit. The production commenced on full-scale in the unit recently. 

“We have branded the soap being produced here as Kumari bathing soap. The unit is capable of making 50,000 bathing bars per day for which five metric tonne of raw materials are being used. Each soap weighs 100 gms,” said a Tamil Nadu Khadi and Village Industries Board official. 

The official also added that the Khadi has proposed to produce soaps with sandal and neem in different sizes and measures in the future. These bathing bars would be sold to government hostel inmates, PDS outlets, all Khadi stores and the prisons in the state. 

The official added that Khadi products were much in demand in the market these days, as many people have started using herbal-based cosmetic items. At present, Khadi has been selling Rs 72 lakh worth herbal cosmetic products every year. “With the new modern unit going on full steam, our sales target will also increase. Apart from it, more than 200 villagers are benefitted by the recently installed modern unit,” the official concluded.