Kerala - Alappuzha   

`Coir Board to promote domestic sales'

Staff Reporter

ALAPPUZHA: Coir Board plans to promote domestic sales of coir products and has appointed a marketing officer to study the demand potential of coir products in the country, Coir Board Chairman A.C. Jose has said.

Inaugurating a function organised at Central Coir Research Institute (CCRI) Kalavoor on Thursday, in connection with the launch of the new versatile pneumatic loom developed here, Mr. Jose said the plan of the Board was to develop a domestic market of at least Rs.1000 crores for coir.

Mr. Jose said the Board aimed to ensure at least 200 days of work annually to coir workers in the country. He said the Board plans to make use of coconut pith, which is a product that remains while making coir.

Efforts to develop bio fertilizer out of pith had succeeded and the Board was also planning to export pith, Mr. Jose said. Coir Board was also holding discussions with the Rubber Research Institute at Kottayam about the possibility of using pith for enhancing the quality of soil in rubber plantations. He said the Cochin University of Science and Technology had approved the CCRI as a research institute.

Union Secretary for Small Scale and Agro-rural Industries Anupum Dasgupta launched the new pneumatic loom named `Anupam' at the function. He said problems faced by the coir industry could be solved only by increasing the productivity in the coir sector.

He said research work should take into consideration the needs of the industry and artisans.

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