Coir Industry - Playing A Pivotal Role in the Development of the Rural Economy

Shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of India inaugurated the Coir Board Diamond Jubilee Celebrations here today. The President said that he was happy to note that the coir industry has grown into a highly successful sector and has spread into other coconut growing States and today, thousands of household units are engaged in fibre extraction and spinning of coir yarn throughout the coir producing regions. The industry employs about 7 lakh workers, predominantly women in more than 14 states and Union Territories and is amongst the foremost foreign exchange earning industries in the country with a positive growth trajectory.

The President also lauded the efforts of the Coir industry for evolving in a remarkable way - in terms of quality improvement, technological and scientific upgradation of the products, better market research and product promotion – to become a net earner of over 1100 crores from the export of its products, and added that in the 12th Plan, sufficient allocations have been made to this traditional agro-based cottage industry to enable it to expand further. Its further growth is bound to have a positive multiplier effect as most of the units in this industry are in the rural segment of our economy – in the category of micro industries and nearly 40% are small and medium scale production units.

The President added that coir wood, a new innovation, is an important outcome of the research carried out by the Coir Board – and this product is fast establishing itself as a substitute for a traditional wood.

In the coir industry where 80% of the workforce is constituted by women, the President said that it is commendable that the Coir Board has developed the Mahila Coir Yojna Scheme to specifically focus on women in rural areas – and train them to take up spinning of coir yarn and other simple processes in coir manufacturing. This opening is an opportunity for them to not only contribute, but also develop their own self–confidence and self-reliance. The Coir Board is taking several measures to improve the living conditions of coir workers and helping them to optimize the returns on their efforts and the resources invested by them.

The Minister of MSME (Independent Charge), K. H. Muniyappa also congratulated the Coir Board for its successful efforts and continuous innovation of new products to popularize this natural, eco-friendly fibre and added that the coir industry has been playing a pivotal role in the development of the rural economy in the coconut producing States of the country and is expanding in many non-traditional States at a fast pace and providing significant employment and income to rural artisans of these States.

The Minister said that the MSME sector as a whole provides livelihood to around 8 crore people through 3.6 crore enterprises. Coir is one of the major traditional industries catered to by the MSME Ministry. Coir industry is a labour intensive industry and is concentrated in the coastal belt of the country where the employment opportunities are limited. The coir industry has been maintaining its growing trend over a decade now in spite of heavy odds like shortage of raw materials, stiff competition from synthetic products, etc. and congratulated the manufacturers, workers and experts other stake holders of the industry for being able to sustain the growth in the industry with their persistent efforts.

The Minister added that due to the concerted efforts of the Coir Board, coir industry has now attained a national status with its presence in 14 States and Union Territories including North Eastern States like Assam & Tripura. Coir Board has come up with an array of technologies and machinery to cater to the current developmental needs of the coir industry. The latest addition to these wonderful array of machinery items, that is a versatile spinning machine which can produce large quantities of coir yarn without core thread through an entirely new spinning technology and diversified products like coir jacket, coir chappal, coir umbrella, coir curtains, coir pith binderless board etc.

Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Shri Shashi Tharoor highlighted the need for a brand ambassador for coir to globally spread the message and activities of the Board. The Coir Board should collaborate with National Skill Development Agency, an autonomous body that coordinates the skill development efforts of the government and the private sector to achieve the skilling targets of the ongoing 12th Five Year Plan and beyond, he said.

Shri Tharoor also stressed the need to raise the level of income in the coir industry, stem the below-par achievements of mechanisation and kindle interest among youngsters to join the traditional sector.

Prof P J Kurien, Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, said the workers welcoming modernisation was a good sign for the industry and further added that the Board is into diversification in a big way - the wood being produced out of coir is checking deforestation. The manure-infused coir pith has proved to be a substitute for soil, thereby promoting horticulture. Then there are geo-textiles which are an excellent deterrent to soil erosion.

MSME Secretary, Shri Madhav Lal said that the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations will generate awareness about the inherent potential of the sector, elevate the coir products to greater heights of popularity and attract sophisticated buyers and further added that in the highly environmentally sensitized world, non-traditional products like coir-pith, compressed grow-bags and coir composites have caught the imagination of sophisticated overseas markets and the sector holds a lot of potential for innovative, non-traditional, value added products which can convert the other-wise waste into not only a high foreign exchange earner for the economy, but also a cost effective way of creating sustained employment in coastal and other areas, especially in the rural India.

The Secretary said that the Ministry of MSME intervenes through Coir Board in areas of modernization of production processes, development of machinery and equipments, product development and diversification, development of environment friendly technologies, technology transfer, incubation, testing and service facilities, development of skilled manpower, women-oriented self employment, Development of production infrastructure, domestic and export market promotion and welfare measures like Coir Workers’ Group Personal Accident Insurance Scheme for the benefit of coir workers. 26 coir clusters have been taken-up for development under SFURTI by providing common facilities and other infrastructural support.

Professor Balachandran, Chairman, Coir Board said that the Coir Board was working on combining coir with other natural fibres such as silk, jute and sisal to bringing out more innovative products. “That day is not far when coir will find a place in the manufacturing of moulded furniture, TV cabinets and car dash-boards,” he added.

As a part of the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, the Coir Board has planned a series of activities to be held during the month of November, 2013 which include: World Coir Fair coinciding with IITF 2013, Exhibitions at Dilli Haat and other locations, International Buyer Seller Meet, National Seminar on innovative coir products, Women’s Meet on self employment opportunities in coir industry and Coir Road Show from Kanyakumari to Jammu Tawi to popularize the environment friendly properties of coir products and the contributions of this industry to the rural economy.

Coir industry employment expanded through modernization, women focused schemes and product diversification to boost rural livelihoods and exports. The coir sector is a labour intensive rural employer and growing export earner that has expanded geographically and diversified products; policy measures-women focused training (Mahila Coir Yojna), MSME interventions in modernization, technology transfer, skill development, SFURTI cluster support, market promotion and welfare schemes-combined with new machinery and innovative products (coir wood, coir pith, composites) are presented as the operative mechanisms to boost productivity, income, employment and environmental benefits in rural areas.