12 vanaspati factories to reopen

Vanaspati Manufactures' Association (East Zone), the apex body of the Vanaspati companies of the region, announced re-opening of a dozen firms in West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar.

Kunal Banerjee, chairman of the association, said the re-opening followed the West Bengal government's decision to impose 20 per cent sales tax on imports which were taking its toll on the domestic industry.

The units which have restarted its operations are Kusum Products, Rasoi, M P Glycem, Vegetables Products, Swastik Refineries, Madhav Solvex, Paceman Promotion (all in West Bengal), Kanchan Oil Industries and Mihijam in Jharkhand, Pataliputra in Bihar and Brar and Shivani in Orissa.