The government of India is on a path towards sustainable development with the idea of maximising the most for the economy while keeping in mind the idea of Green Restart on the sidelines.
In a major leap towards this goal, the government of India is on a path to revive traditional Indian Industries such as Khadi, Coir, handloom, handicrafts, etc.
Overcoming the threat of diminishing homegrown industries, Coir has flourished as one of the most popular and demanding traditional Indian Industries. Today, it has become an emerging source of Employment in rural areas, especially for women.
What is Coir? & What is Coir Industry?
Extracted from the husk of coconuts, Coir is dominantly found in the southern coastal belt due to huge coconut plantations where everything, from culture to dishes, evolves around coconut.
Kerala alone accounts for 61% of total coconut production and 85% of total coir products.
The Coir Industry is an agro-based rural industry that provides employment to over 7 lakhs workers in the major coconut producing states of India. Today it has developed into a more professional and modern industry, spread over the coastal belt of the country.
To revive this traditional industry, the government of India had set up a Coir Board under the Coir Industry Act, 1953 for the overall sustainable development of the coir industry in the country, including promotion of domestic as well as export markets of coir and coir products.
Coir: an export-oriented Industry
Coir and coir products are exported to almost 110 countries all over the world from India. Currently, there are 1570 registered coir exporters in the country. In fact, the export of Coir and Coir products from India during the year 2020-21 has registered an all-time high record of Rs.3778.98 crores with an increase of over Rs.1021 crores from the previous year.
This increase in value accounts for a 37% growth in comparison with 2019-20 statistics. This growth in figures is indicative of the high value of Coir products when it comes to its demand in the international market.
This industry is showing great potential to deepen the threads of Indian traditional industries in domestic markets as well as abroad. Focussing on this goal, the Coir Board has set an objective of achieving Rs.7000 crores of coir exports in the next couple of years.
The Coir Board has stated that it will identify and register 50 coir exporters under the Board focusing on the ports of Mumbai, Vizag & Kandla for fostering export markets within a span of the next 3 years.
Government Schemes to revive Coir Industry
The role of the government in reviving this traditional Indian Industry has picked a pace in the last couple of years.
Under the aegis of the MSME Ministry, various government schemes have been implemented to support the Coir, including other traditional Indian Industries such as SFURTI (Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries), Coir Udyami Yojana, etc.
In Gujarat, the Ministry of MSME has sanctioned the 2 SFURTI clusters, namely Samavedana Coir Cluster & Tarapur Coir Cluster with a project outlay of Rs.472.73 lakhs, which will throw open more employment opportunities.
Similarly, in Maharashtra, the Ministry of MSME has sanctioned the 2 SFURTI clusters – Pendur Coir Cluster & Sawantwadi Coir cluster with a project outlay of Rs. 361.86 lakhs.
Currently, the Coir Board is undertaking initiatives for the development of the Coir industry in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa. Under CVY-Skill Upgradation & Mahila Coir Yojana scheme, the Board is encouraging training activities for 600 beneficiaries in various coir processing technologies so that they are empowered to get sustainable employment and revenue generation in the coir sector by availing PMEGP/SFURTI schemes.
Coir Industry & Women Empowerment
Most of the coir units in India are located in rural areas wherein the workers belong to economically and socially weaker sections of the society. 80% of the workforce in this sector broadly constitutes women that significantly contribute to women empowerment in rural areas.
On average, thousands of women in the Alappuzha district of Kerala carry heaps of coconut husk, feeding it into machines that turn it into a useful thread on daily basis.
Coir- The Fibre of Future
Coir is one of the most ethnic, eco-friendly, hygienic and versatile fibres that can substitute wood, plywood and MDF boards (medium-density fibre-boards).
The composites of Coir are made out of a combination of two or more materials to achieve superior properties than that of its other components. Therefore, the coir ply can be reinforced with plantation wood like rubberwood veneer, for better properties without destroying natural forests. Coir materials are resistant to termite and borer attacks, flame retardant, boiling water, and free from fungal growth. The nail holding properties are better than MDF as a result of long-staple fibre.
Recently, the Coir Board initiated a series of product development and diversification activities that have helped to launch a number of value-added products to meet consumer needs.
New end-use applications of coir like the use of Coir Geotextiles for preventing soil erosion, conversion of Coir Pith into valuable bio-fertiliser and soil conditioner and Coir Garden articles have gained popularity in India and abroad.
Moreover, since there has been a growing affinity towards environment-friendly products worldwide, the coir and coir products have seen increasing demands in domestic as well as foreign markets.
Today, the Coir industry is opening up new avenues for the utility of its products while simultaneously moving to Pan India given the popularisation of the schemes and services initiated by the government.
The government initiatives to develop the Coir industry is providing employment opportunities to the rural population, especially women, while also reviving the traditional Indian Industry and taking it to the international market.
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