Agarbattis
As part of ITC's business strategy of creating multiple drivers of growth in the FMCG sector, the Company commenced marketing Agarbattis (Incense Sticks) sourced from small-scale and cottage units in 2003. This Business leverages the core strengths of ITC in nation-wide distribution and marketing, brand building, supply chain management, manufacture of high quality paperboards and the creation of innovative packaging solutions to offer Indian consumers high quality Agarbattis. With its participation in the business, ITC aims to enhance the competitiveness of the small-scale and cottage units through its complementary R&D based product development and strengths in trade marketing and distribution.
The Business continues to work on various exciting new offerings to the consumers and is planning to launch them in the near future.
In line with ITC's Triple Bottom Line philosophy of every business contributing to the nation's economic, environmental and social capital, Mangaldeep agarbattis are manufactured by small scale and cottage units, providing livelihood opportunities for more than 14,000 people. Mangaldeep Agarbatti is manufactured at various centres & 5 of the manufacturing units are ISO 9000 certified. Mangaldeep ASHA (Assistance in Social Habilitation through Agarbattis) is an ITC initiative to improve the quality of raw agarbatti production and provide better livelihood for women rollers. ITC has also extended support to NGOs in states and like Bihar, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, who are setting up agarbatti units, training village women in rolling agarbattis and employing them in these units. ITC has signed a MoU with ORMAS (Orissa Rural Development & Marketing Society), an autonomous body under the Pachayat Raj in Odisha. This initiative provides technical training to rural women & provides employment opportunities to over 4000 rural women.
