ALEAP to help women turn wonderful entrepreneurs

Vijayawada: K Ramadevi, founder and president of Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of Andhra Pradesh (ALEAP), said here on Wednesday that women would make wonderful entrepreneurs given a chance.

Addressing the mediapersons on the sidelights of the conference on ‘Building Next Generation Women Entrepreneurs’ here, Ramadevi said that it is a golden period for women entrepreneurs with so many industries earmarked for women.

She recalled when the women in Hyderabad were given 30 acres of land, they started 200 industrial units much to the dismay of their detractors. She advised women to generate an idea and they would help them to nurture the idea. “At present there are industrial clusters at Rajamahendravaram, Nellore and Vijayawada and more would be in the offing,” she said.

Referring to the latest achievement by women entrepreneurs, Ramadevi said that they had developed baskets with banana tree bark and they found an international purchaser like IKEA. “The product would be launched soon in the market if Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu gives time for the launch,” she said.

Purnima Kamble, Board member of TiE Amaravati, said that the girls need direction to become entrepreneurs and the TiE Amaravati with the help of Innovation Valley would help them.

Dora Swami, India partner of Brandix Apparels, said that 18,000 rural women, who are not much educated, are working for Brandix and they are being encouraged to start their own units to manufacture apparels.

“Women have extraordinary talent and they need to channelise their strength to become good entrepreneurs,” she said. Winny Patro, CEO of Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society, also Innovation Valley, said that the Innovation Valley is focusing to encourage women by organising such conferences.