He emphasized the development of new products and new applications of Coir.
Coimbatore: In a bid to help the Indian coir sector in the country leap forward, the Enterprise India National Coir Conclave 2022 was held in Coimbatore.
The Union Minister for MSME, Narayan Rane inaugurated the Enterprise India National Coir Conclave.
Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, along with other State Ministers and senior officials were also present at the inauguration of the ‘Enterprise India National Coir Conclave 2022’ being organised under the “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” at Coimbatore.
Speaking at the event, Narayan Rane emphasized the development of new products and new applications of coir through product development, product diversification and adoption of new technologies. The Union Minister Narayan Rane congratulated the Ministry of MSME and Coir Board for having conceived the novel idea of creating a forum for highlighting the sectoral discussions among the coconut-growing states of India with a view to discussing the problems being faced by the coir industries in different States and the possible solutions and action plan for strengthening the growth rate, both in the domestic sector and export sector.
“I am also happy to learn that the coir industry award winners who have manifested phenomenal performance in different fields of coir activity like export, domestic sales, research and development, excellent entrepreneurship, best-performed societies, clusters etc. are present here to receive the awards,” commended the Union Minister for MSME.
“In the recent past, China has started manufacturing coir products, especially the low-cost mattresses by importing fibre from India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam etc. We should foresee the possibility of low-value Chinese coir products competing in the international market against Indian coir products. The advent of globalization and the opening up of more economies has offered opportunities and threats to the industry. An opportunity presented before the coir industry is the growing environmental consciousness and the preference still existing for handmade articles in different parts of the world.
As the opening up of the Indian economy may extend welcome signs to the foreign cheaper substitutes, there is a need for the industry to be repositioned to meet the growing challenges. The industry has to become competitive in every aspect. The aim of the development strategy for coir should be to minimize and, as far as possible reverse the consequences of loss of market to synthetic substitutes.
The main strategy should be to check the erosion of end product markets to regain some lost shares on account of stiff competition posed by the synthetic substitutes in the past and, where possible to expand consumption, particularly in the case of non-traditional products with market potential,” stressed the Union Minister.
He added, “In the Indian context, as in the case of other coir-producing countries, more than anything else, the importance of the coir industry lies in the fact that it provides employment to more than eight lakh of people in rural areas where chances of alternative avocation for engaging them is rather nil. Like in most of the rural industries, the skill base of coir industry is inherited from generation to generation.
The industry is an integral part of their cultural heritage and way of life. If the industry is complemented with appropriate measures, it will be able to harness its potential in a better way and would become more competitive and self-sustainable.”
“The Government of India is fully aware of the problems being faced by traditional industries including coir. It had sanctioned Rs.1926.15 lakhs for setting up 481 coir units under the PMEGP scheme. I am committed to taking the coir industry to the non-traditional areas of the country with a view to increasing the employment generation in rural India and have already started the efforts to strengthen the industry in the Konkan belt, North Eastern Region, Goa, Gujarat etc.
I am sure that through our collective and concerted efforts, we can take the Indian coir industry into an Rs.1 lakh crore industry within the next five years, both by boosting exports and domestic sales and also through diversifying the market destinations,” reiterated the Union Minister.
“The coir industry in Kerala has gathered strength with the cooperative movement and around 800 cooperative societies have been set up in Kerala. We are committed to strengthening the cooperative movement in all industrial and service sectors in India, including coir. I appeal to all Governments in the coconut-growing states to strengthen the cooperative movement in the coir sector which will definitely reduce the middlemen exploitation and enhance the living conditions of the working force.
Similarly, none of the states other than Kerala is operating an exclusive division in the Government for looking after the coir industry. I am happy to note that the Government of Tamil Nadu recently took a decision to set up an exclusive Directorate for looking after the coir sector in the State. I also appeal to all other State Governments to set up similar exclusive divisions in the Secretariats of all coconut-growing states to look after the coir sector,” concluded Union Minister Narayan Rane.