The Hindu : Self-help groups cashing in on coconut fibre

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 14, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Self-help groups cashing in on coconut fibre

By Subha J Rao

COIMBATORE, MARCH 13. Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in villages surrounding Avinashi are all set to cash in on coconut fibre. A fortnight into their training, they now confidently operate machines which break husk, extract fibre, sieve impurities and bale the fibre.

The two asbestos-roof units inaugurated recently by the District Collector, N. Muruganandam, at Kalipalayam stand out in an otherwise arid land. The finished product from these units will go as raw material to 40 groups involved in coir production, and the mat-making units dependant on them. These units are funded by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).

``Till now, we were sourcing the fibre from Pollachi and nearby areas. But, the cost of transportation ensured that our overheads were high. With this unit, that problem has been solved. Also, we can keep a check on quality," says Sarala, Programme Coordinator of World Vision India (WVI), the non-governmental organisation responsible for the Indira and Bharathi SHGs, which run the units.

Inside the factory, women climb up a ramp and drop the basketfuls of husks, sourced from farms at Puliampatti, Sathyamangalam, Perur, Periyanaickenpalayam and Annur, into the bursting machines. After soaking the crushed husk in water, it is fed into a decorticator, which extracts the fibre, and then placed in a screener.

The noise inside the unit is deafening. Equally bad is the coconut dust. Most of the 10-odd women working in the units say they have developed cough and cold but are not complaining. They get year-long employment in these units and a decent sum daily.

However, Sarala says they are planning to give the women masks.

Work has been going on in the unit from February 24 and, so far, they have produced 60 bales of 30 kg, priced at Rs. 300 each. Most of the bales contain brown fibre, commonly available in the market. Some bales have white fibre, which commands a better price. ``White fibre comes from green husks, which are not easily available. And, they enable easier dyeing too,'' the SHGs say.

The machines in the unit are not very hi-tech, but Victor, Community Development Organiser, WVI, says that was intentional. ``Technologically-advanced machines need little manpower. That goes against our objective of generating employment."

The coir pith generated during the fibre extraction process normally goes waste. But, these groups are planning to sell it to export units, which make bricks from them, and poultry farms, which line the floor with pith.

Water is a necessity for extracting fibre, and luckily for the units, water gushes out of a borewell sunk for their use.

To ensure optimum waste, plans are afoot to construct a water tank for soaking the broken husks. Under the present set-up the husks are heaped on the ground and water sprinkled on them. Because of this, water is perennially seeping out. Electricity is another major expenditure. To keep costs down, authorities are mulling installing a biomass-gasifier plant to generate power.

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