Furniture units for tribal artisans to be opened soon 

CHENNAI: The State Tribal Welfare Department is looking to set up two furniture manufacturing units for the members of the tribal community who are trained to make furniture from Lantana Camara, an invasive species. The furniture units will come up in Erode and The Nilgiris. 

“Furniture made from Lantana Camara are cheaper than bamboo and more durable. It is generally considered an invasive species and many tribal communities are engaged in removing them from forests.

We decided to train them to make furniture using it and are also set up furniture units so that they would have a platform to sell,” said a senior official from the department. Around 60 people have been trained so far, in an initiative taken up jointly by Tamil Nadu Vazhndu Kattuvom Project and the World Wildlife Fund. 

Siruvadivel J, a farmer from Erode who was among those trained in the process of making furniture said they have sold furniture worth around Rs 1 lakh through their enterprise group and with a larger platform, hopes to sell more. The group has so far made chairs, sofas, tables, coffee tables and bookshelves. A two-seater sofa, for instance, is priced around Rs 4,000-Rs 5,000 and a three-seater sofa for around Rs 8,000.