Kerala - Alappuzha   

Coir sector urged to become more competitive

ALAPPUZHA: The coir sector in Kerala can move forward only if the domestic market for coir in the country and the State in particular is strengthened, Dinesh Rai, Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, said here on Monday.

Pointing out that other States such as Tamil Nadu were moving ahead of Kerala in the coir market, Mr. Rai said the State’s coir sector would have to pull up its socks and become more competitive by ensuring better quality and innovative designing for its products.

He was speaking after inaugurating a workshop to create awareness on the Rs.243-crore Rejuvenation Modernisation and Technology (REMOT) Upgradation Scheme of the Coir Board and distribution of loans to beneficiaries under the scheme.

The scheme, approved by the Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, in March this year is for implementation in the Eleventh Five Year Plan and will benefit two vital sectors which are at the lowermost end of the coir manufacturing pyramid, the spinning sector and the small-scale/household coir product manufacturing sector.

More than 50 per cent of the scheme encompasses Kerala from where 85 per cent of the country’s coir export came from and where 70 per cent of the country’s coir manufacturing facilities existed.

The scheme envisages augmenting the machine capacity in the sector by replacing outdated machines with modern ones, and putting up modern machinery with upgraded technology for new units.

The scheme, by encouraging more units, was expected to benefit at least 60,000 workers, of which 36,800 would be newly employed ones while the rest would be existing workers benefiting from the changed environment in their workplaces, he said.

Around 4,000 coir spinning units and 3,200 small scale coir product units can avail of bank loans for renovation and modernisation under the scheme.

Weaving units, curled coir manufacturing units, coir mat finishing and processing units, coir rope units, coir pith bloc manufacturing units and any coir unit with an investment of at least Rs.5 lakh would be among the beneficiaries.

Coir Board chairman A.C. Jose, secretary M. Kumara Raja and others spoke on the occasion.

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