GI certificate sought for Thaikkal cane furniture

Chennai: The special officer of Block Development Office in Nagapattinam has approached the Geographical Indications Registry of Chennai seeking GI certificate for cane furniture manufactured in Annaikaran Chathiram, Gopalasamithuram and surrounding villages in Colroon area in Nagapattinam district.

On behalf of the artisans P. Sanjai Gandhi, additional government pleader and GI. Attorney, has filed the petition before the registry. In the petition, Gandhi, submitted that hand-made cane furniture have been woven by artisans in the surrounding villages for over a century.

Thaikkal rattan furniture named after Thaikkal village as a large of number of rattan based clusters found in the village and the village has maximum number of rattan artisans compared to other villages.

“The rattan furniture of Thaikkal is made with superior quality of rattan. The sleek rattan furniture is simple and good looking and suitable for any weather. The rattan comes with ultra violet paint coating and its shine does not fade with time,” he said.

The lightweight furniture could be moved easily from one place to another and suitable for every type of occasions.

The artisans manufacture various products including small basket rattan tray, sofa, chairs, rattan mats, rattan oonjal (swing), tea table, arccanai plate, bucket, muram, sital pati, baskets of various sizes and shapes, winnowing trays, sieves, japi or chatta, various types of fishing implements, murrahs, tiffin boxes, trays, fancy boxes, cradles (oval and oblong) and cover for the thermos flasks.

More than 500 rattan and rattan based furniture industries functioning in Thaikkal and produces furniture worth Rs 2 crore every year. The cottage industry provides employment opportunities to 5,000 artisans. The furniture is exported to Netherlands, Vietnam, Italy, China, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Germany, Mexico and Canada.