Coimbatore: Coimbatore district is one of the major players in the Indian Coir industry sector. While shortage of manpower and steep increase of raw material prices have affected the industry, experts opine that this is temporary and the industry will witness a rapid growth after a year.
Coimbatore: Coimbatore district is one of the major players in the Indian Coir industry sector. While shortage of manpower and steep increase of raw material prices have affected the industry, experts opine that this is temporary and the industry will witness a rapid growth after a year.
While India, Srilanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, are South Africa the nations that have coir industries, India's share among the world production is whopping 70%. More than 21,000 coir and related industrial units function across India. While there are 4 lakh direct employees, the industry provides indirect employment opportunities to more than 3 lakh persons.
While units in the states of Tamil nadu, Karnataka, Andhra and Kerala contribute to about 80% of the manufacture, there are units in Orissa, West Bengal, Goa and Maharashtra too. Tamil nadu plays a vital role in the Indian coir industry sector. There are around 9,000 units sprawled across Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Dindigul, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Nagercoil, and Thoothukudi districts. The 'Covid-19' virus outbreak has made a big impact in this sector also which has stretched the industry thin.
Coir Board Member and President of Coimbatore District Coconut Fiber Manufacturers Association S.K.Gowthaman said "Coimbatore district plays a vital role in this sector. There are 2,000 units in this district and most of them in Pollachi and its surroundings. More than 1.5 lakh persons are provided employment both directly and indirectly. The district processes Rs 2,750 crores worth exports and Pollachi alone contributes Rs 1,100 crores. Coir products manufactured in the district are exported to 96 foreign countries."
He added, "Major exports are done to China, America, Europe, and Australia. At present the sector has been badly affected due to the pandemic. Shortage of manpower, bank loans, steep price increase in the price of raw materials are some of the major issues this sector currently faces. The prices of raw material are quite high. Whereas in the international market, the price is low as a result of which manufacturers incur an increased cost of production. This will reflect in the product's price.
In spite of these issues, the scenario is not that bad. We expect a positive trend soon. The Coir Board is helping the industrialists by creating awareness about productivity loss control. Special online workshops are conducted. It also helps them in getting international quality certification and subsidies from the government.
The central government helps by providing 30 to 40% subsidy in the total project cost through Khadi Village Industrial Corporation. State government also has implemented a scheme in which a 25% subsidy is provided on the project cost and some allowance in electricity consumption for the first 2 years."
He added, "At present, there is a good demand for various coir products in the international markets such as, beauty aid products, coir wood, coir fibre windows, doors etc. Industrialists should focus more on value added products(VAP). This is the future. There are seven research centres established by the Coir Board across the nation and we have a centre in Thanjavur.
Industrialists who are interested in doing research in creating a new product can avail this facility with subsidy and free accomodation. It will take one and a half years from now to come out from the present crisis. Since coir products are eco friendly, there will be a huge demand for them in the world market which will help this sector to start witnessing a rapid growth pretty soon."