The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Acute underemployment in coir sector: census

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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Acute underemployment in coir sector: census

Special Correspondent

Says the number of coir workers has come down over the years

Says looms and ratts are remaining unutilised
Report to be handed over to committee

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A census of coir units in the State shows a high level of underemployment in the coir sector. The census also indicates that the number of coir workers has come down over the years.

Minister for Cooperation and Coir G. Sudhakaran released the census report, prepared by the Centre for Socio-Economic and Environmental Studies, Kochi, here on Friday by handing over a copy to Additional Secretary (Coir) Rani George.

The last census in 1988 had enumerated 3.83 lakh workers in coir and coir-related occupations. This has come down to 2.70 lakh, including 15,000 people who were not counted in this census as they were not directly involved in production. (The two figures are not strictly comparable as the definition of coir worker was different in the two census).

The census enumerated 75,471 coir units in the State of which 73,973 were household units.

The major activities in the household sector were spinning, weaving, retting and beating.

Most of the household units did not have work sheds and this prevented them from doing their work during the rainy season. More than half of the units functioned only for 200 days or less during a year.

The spinning sector contributed three-fourths of the employment in the household sector. One-fifth of the employment was in weaving and related activities.

Most of the workers in the coir sector were women. However, their percentage had come down from 84.1 per cent in 1988 to 82 per cent this year.

The census found that 411 coir cooperatives had produced coir and coir products last year. Many looms and ratts remain unused in the cooperatives.

While 40 per cent of the looms were not being put to use, three-fourths of the ratts remained unused. A fourth of the societies did not have godowns to keep their stock.

The mats and matting societies could offer better employment than other societies. About 60 per cent functioned for more than 200 days in a year.

The census reported strong presence of middlemen in the purchase of raw materials and sale of finished products.

The Minister said the census report would be handed over to a high-level committee headed by Ananthalavattom Anandan that is drawing up recommendations for restructuring of the coir sector.

Its report was expected to be received in a few months time.

The plan was to increase the minimum earnings of workers in the coir sector by Rs.30 to Rs.35 a day, so that the minimum wage would be at least Rs.90 a day.

The government also had plans to distribute 8,000 ratts costing Rs.3.5 crore to about 350 select societies this year. The ratts will cost Rs.4,000 each.

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