All About the Indian Coir Industry and White Fibre

The Coir Sector Act, 1953, was passed by the Indian government to establish the Coir Board for the long-term growth of the country’s coir industry.

According to the Act, the Board’s objectives include organising, helping, and supporting scientific, technical, and economic innovation, modernisation, quality improvement, human capital development, market promotion, and welfare.

The Board’s office is in Coir House in Kerala, Kochi, and the firm has 48 sites around the nation, including 29 marketing units.

For more than 60 years, the Coir Board has guided the business and regularly plays an essential role in the economic growth of the country’s remote regions. The coir business was formerly confined to Kerala, but mainly to the efforts of the Board, and it has now expanded throughout the country. The coconut-growing states and union territories of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Orissa, Assam, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, and others rely significantly on the coir profession.

All About Coir

Coir is a natural white fibre obtained from the outer husk of a coconut and utilised in items like floor mats, doormats, brushes, and mattresses.

Coir is a fibrous white fibre found between the hard inner shell of a coconut and its outermost part. It’s a natural white fibre made from the husks of a coconut, which is a renewable resource.

Coir is the best example of a ‘waste to riches’ solution since it is ecologically sound and saves energy, water, and soil.

Employment in the Coir Industry 

In several states across the country, more than 7 lakh coir labourers, most women, are engaged in the coir industry. 

An estimated 80% of the workforce in the industry is female, and it plays a significant part in the empowerment of rural women in many of the country’s coastal districts.

Coir Industry Research and Development

The Coir Board’s Research Organisations are working on the new coir R&D initiatives in rotating and product diversification with other CSIR units and institutions.

The attempts of the Coir Board have resulted in a series of product development and development actions that have supported the launch of various value-added goods that fulfil customer demands.

• New coir accepts the decision, such as coir geotextiles to avoid soil degradation, coir pith conversion into important bio-fertiliser and soil conditioner, and coir garden items, have gained appeal in India and internationally.
• Coir and coir products have benefited from the increased interest for ecologically friendly items in both global markets.

The Coir Board offered the following actions to make the coir firm in the Zone of Konkan.

To represent the Board’s exclusive connection and inclusive centre for promoting new coir developmental activities in Maharashtra, Goa, and Gujarat, including startup, advertising (domestic and export promotions), and the R&D centre’s technocentric resistance, scheme implementation, and so on.

Business incubation campaigns and awareness programs on other Ministry schemes such as the SFURTI Scheme and Market Development Programs to improve the export industry have all been used to raise awareness among coir craftspeople.

The Ministry of MSME’s SFURTI and PMEGP schemes provide necessary assistance and guidance, and financial aid in developing prospective businesses.

Coir Industry Promotion Initiatives

The Coir Vikas Mission initiative, among other things, encourages the growth of domestic and export, skill education and training, promoting gender equality, profession development and implementation, increased raw material use, trade-related operations, and coir labourer welfare.

MSMEs are crucial in creating jobs and contribute considerably to the country’s socio-economic growth. Coir is a quick, ecologically sustainable MSME that fits the country’s socio-economic necessities.

The coir industry is opening up new channels to use its goods, giving job possibilities and the commodities and their implementations, thanks to the popularity of the schemes and facilities.

MSMEs play a vital role in employment creation and contribute considerably to the country’s socio-economic development. Coir is a fast-growing, ecologically sustainable MSME that fits the nation’s socio-economic demands.

The coir business is opening up new paths in the use of its goods, giving job possibilities and the products themselves, thanks to the popularity of the programs and facilities.

Conclusion

India is the world’s largest coir producer, accounting for more than 85% of products. The coir sector in India is highly diverse, involving households, co-operatives, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), manufacturers, and exporters. India is the world’s leading producer and exporter of coir and coir-related products. This study examines the performance of MSMEs in coir manufacturing by analysing their coir production, coir exports, and growth in coir product production. This article examines the performance of coir industries in terms of coir white fibre production in India over the last five years and the current fiscal year, growth of 85% coir product from 2018-19 to 2020-2021.