Coir Kerala 2014 to be held in Alappuzha from February 1 to 5

Thiruvananthapuram: Coir Kerala 2014, the fourth edition of the world’s biggest trade event on coir and natural fibres will be held in Alappuzha from February 1-5, 2014, with a line-up of new products and machinery designed to drive up production and exports.

The event will be inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister for Defence Shri. A K Antony at a ceremony presided over by Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri. Oommen Chandy at EMS Stadium in Alappuzha, Hon’ble Minister for Revenue and Coir Shri Adoor Prakash announced at a press conference here today.

Around 160 foreign delegates from more than 46 countries and nearly 100 buyers from across India are expected to take part in the trade fair which targets export orders worth Rs 150 crores for the coir and natural fibres industry.

The annual event has become a significant contributor to the increase in revenues from coir exports. In 2012-13, total coir exports were worth around Rs. 1,166 crore, up from Rs 1,052 crore the previous year – 70% of which was Kerala’s contribution.

“While production and exports have seen a definite increase, our primary focus continues to be improving the lives of the workers in the coir industry and to create more employment in this sector,”said Shri Adoor Prakash. “The government has raised the income support scheme amount for coir workers from just Rs 150 three years ago to Rs 260 now, but we are aware that it is still below the earnings in many other skilled sectors and we are looking to address that disparity.”

At Coir Kerala 2014, which is being organised with the support of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, there will be 250 exhibition stalls across the national and international pavilion showcasing a range of fibre products and the increasing product diversity in the industry.

Some of the newly developed products include a collection of handicrafts and souvenirs; sound-absorbing materials designed for architecture and interior designing; and environment-friendly coir geo-cells that prevent slope erosion and enable slope land cultivation at the same time.

Also showcased at the fair will be new machinery and technologies designed to improve productivity in the sector. Among them a pneumatic loom for weaving geotextiles and a revolutionary new defibering mill and developed by the National Coir Research and Management Institute (NCRMI), the coordinating agency for Coir Kerala 2014.

The defibering mill developed by NCRMI at its R&D facility in Thiruvananthapuram is designed to address the crippling shortage of raw material faced by the industry today. Fibre scarcity will be the discussion point at Coir Kerala 2014 with a series of seminars organised to help develop solutions for the problem.

For the first time in Coir Kerala, a committee consisting of exporters, policymakers and subject experts is being constituted to see how the recommendations at these seminars and workshops can be put to practical use to aid product diversification, Smt Rani George, Secretary, Coir, said.

She added that the department is in talks with the Coconut Development Board to create a mechanism where farmers’ societies from whom the board procures coconuts are able to supply coir fibre. ‘The husk usually goes waste for them, we are looking to see if we can supply them with defibering machines to these farmers’societies and buy back processed fibre and pith from them,” she said.

The Coir Department has been already been actively taking steps to address the crippling raw materials shortage that the coir industry in Kerala today faces.

Between November 2013 and January 2014 the government procured 14,000 quintals of coir fibre and distributed them through Coirfed to coir cooperatives at the standard rate of Rs 20/kg of raw fibre at a time when the market prices had soared to between Rs 26 and Rs 28.

The 12 crore worth of subsidisation has been instrumental in stabilising the prices of coir yarn and other end products in both the domestic market and for exports.

After being sidelined for decades by plastics and other synthetic material, coir and natural fibres are making a comeback thanks to the growing desire the world over for sustainable living and increased focus on R&D to add value and find newer uses for these natural products.

It was in 2011, that the Government of Kerala initiated the Coir Kerala programme to revive the crisis ridden coir sector, by boosting production and exports. Coir Kerala has today morphed into an annual trade fair, facilitating not just buyer-seller interactions, but acting as a platform to showcase the newest products and latest technologies and machinery.

The international event also brings together scientists, researchers and policy-makers to discuss strategies and new projects to create jobs, improve the conditions of workers, increase productivity and earnings across the industry.

But the most noteworthy aspect of Coir Kerala is the active participation in the event of thousands of coir workers in an around Alappuzha, which is the nerve centre of the coir industry in Kerala.

The preliminary stages of a number of skill contests and other competitions for coir workers are already underway. Coir Kerala will be a venue for the final rounds of many of these competitions and the winners will be given away prizes at the valedictory function which will be inaugurated by Hon’ble Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Shri Vayalar Ravi and presided over by Shri Adoor Prakash.

The key Buyer-Seller meet enabling one-to-one interactions will be held on February 3 and on the final day of the event on February 5, Shri Adoor Prakash will interact directly with coir workers at a morning session expected to draw more than 2,000 people.

Cultural and entertainment programmes, which have proven to be major crowd-pullers, will be held on all five days of the event.

Present at the press meet today were NCRMI Director Shri Anil KR, Coir Development Director Dr K Madanan and Chairman of the Coir Workers’ Welfare Board Shri A K Rajan.

Kerala govt. holds Buyer-Seller Meet and product show in Delhi

New Delhi: Setting eyes on a largely untapped domestic market for its money-spinning coir industry, the Kerala government rolled out the red carpet for various stakeholders in the sector in north India, inviting them to showcase their newest products and latest technologies at Coir Kerala 2014, the world’s largest expo on coir and natural fibre products.

Hailed as a signature event of God’ Own Country on the coir sector, the annual mega show, now into its fourth edition, is to be held at Alappuzha during February 1-5.

“The government has made sustained efforts to scale up coir exports, besides making significant progress in the domestic market. In 2012-13, the export of coir products was Rs 1,152 crore as compared to Rs 1,052 crore in 2011-12,” said Shri Adoor Prakash, Hon’ble Minister for Revenue and Coir, Government of Kerala, kick starting a buyer-seller meet and product show here last evening in the run up to event.

However, there is tremendous potential for Kerala coir in the domestic market that needs to be tapped through product diversification, emphasis on R&D and modernisation of the industry, he noted.

“The objective of the road sow in Delhi is to expand the domestic market for coir, scout for new buyers for Kerala coir and strengthen existing businesses in the north,” said the minister, who was flanked by Mrs Rani George, Secretary, Coir; Dr Anil K R, Director, National Coir Research and Management Institute (NCRMI), and Mr. K Madanan, Coir Development Director.

The two-hour road show was attended by around 80 delegates and representatives of businesses centered on natural fibres and fibre products from Delhi and neighbouring areas.

Shri Prakash said the coir industry in Kerala has been clocking an annual growth rate of 20 per cent. The emphasis now is on exploring product diversification that will give coir wider appeal.

“Geotextiles, coir wood, coir pith, horticultural products, medicinal coir and rubberised coir, besides handicrafts, have found good markets. However, the market expansion is vital for the industry’s growth. A greater acceptance for the non-conventional applications of coir will give a fillip to the industry,” he added.

Mrs Rani George said there are limitless prospects for Kerala coir in the domestic market. “A large untapped market for coir exists within the country which needs to be harnessed to drive the resurgence of Kerala’s coir industry. We have been able to tap barely five per cent of it,” she pointed out.

Coir Kerala is expecting a counter sale of Rs 150 crores this year as compared to Rs 100 crore last year, she said, adding: “The growing shift towards eco-friendly consumer and industrial products presents an array of opportunities for coir. With Coir Kerala, we want to make sure domestic manufacturers have the opportunity to take advantage of the global green movement.”

Responding to concerns of some delegates about Indian coir facing onslaughts from Chinese products in domestic markets, Mrs. George said products from China were mostly synthetic and they did not pose much of a competition to quality coir products. “However, there is a need to aggressively commercialise our products in international markets. We may seek help of Indian embassies in this regard,” she added.

She said the US and Europe account for maximum export of Kerala coir, but efforts are under way to expand its presence in international markets. At present, coir and its products are exported to more than 80 countries and the US is the single largest market with a share of more than 40% in the total export. European countries together share more than 41 % of the exports.

Dr Anil informed that the Kerala government held a road show in Ahmedabad for the first time in the run up to the event. “We received an enthusiastic response there. We are now going to hold a similar road show in Varanasi ahead of Coir Kerala 2014. More road shows will be organized in Indian cities for the next year’s event,” he informed.

NCRMI, he said, has taken the initiative to explore the potential of using coir in new areas like acoustics, interior decoration, soil erosion and the fashion industry. “Our target is to hit a figure of Rs 3000 crore as compared to Rs 2500 crore a year earlier and Rs. 5,000 crore by 2016-17 in domestic market,” he pointed out.

Dr Anil said the objective of the road show is not only to generate revenue but also to sensitise the people and stakeholders to the eco-friendliness nature of the industry. “Coir is a natural fibre and it does not require cutting of the trees.

Launched in 2011, Coir Kerala is the world’s largest gathering of the stakeholders in the coir sector – from buyers to sellers, artisans to designers, policy makers to scientists, it provides opportunities for domestic manufacturers and overseas buyers to meet and interact on business, joint ventures, strengthening of existing markets, establishing new markets, transfer of technology and widening of contact base.

Priority for job creation in coir sector, says Minister Adoor Prakash

Alappuzha: Minister for Revenue and Coir Shri Adoor Prakash today said the government is committed to creating more job opportunities in the coir sector and improving the conditions of the thousands of people employed in the industry; and initiatives such as the annual Coir Kerala international trade event are aimed at meeting these objectives.

In his address after inaugurating the reception committee office of Coir Kerala 2014 at Hotel Raiban here, Shri Adoor Prakash said event which will be held in Alappuzha from February 1 to 5, will help thousands of traditional workers in the coir sector by creating employment, boosting exports and bringing new technologies into the industry.

Recalling that he had the opportunity to meet hundreds of coir workers and listen to their grievances during the previous edition of Coir Kerala, the Minister pointed out that he had then assured them of visiting their work place to assess the working conditions.

Shri Adoor Prakash said that he witnessed the difficulties faced by the workers while visiting a few societies.

“I am not blaming the societies but would like to categorically make it clear that the societies should utilise the money sanctioned by the government for providing more jobs to the workers. There are societies that have funds but fail to give jobs to the workers,” he said. “But we should also not forget that there are good societies that provide regular bonuses to the workers.”

The Minister said that the government has been able to scale up coir exports besides making considerable progress in the domestic market. In 2012-13, the export of coir products was around Rs. 1,152 crore, up from Rs 1,052 crore the previous year. The figures for 2013-14 are yet to be finalised but the government is confident that it would be better than the previous year, he said.

Shri Adoor Prakash said that Coir Kerala 2014 will receive central assistance to the tune of Rs 1.75 crore. The Union government has already earmarked a similar assistance for the next edition of Coir Kerala, he said.

Shri G Sudhakaran, MLA, was present at the inauguration of the reception committee office. Dr K Madanan, Director, Coir Development, presided over the inaugural meeting.

Former MLAs Shri A.A. Shukoor and Shri D.Sugathan;  Shri A K Rajan, Chairman,  Coir Workers Welfare Board; Shri K R Rajendraprasad, Chairman,  KSCC;  Shri K M Raju, Chief Administrator,  Coirfed; Shri K R Bageeradhan, Chairman,  ACCDS;, Dr K R Anil, Director,  NCRMI;  Shri G  N Nair, Managing Director,  KSCC; Shri Munjinatt Ramachandran,  Managing Director,  Fomil;  Dr B Sreekumar,  Managing Director,  Coirfed;  Shri V S Mani, CITU State Vice president; Shri V C Alosious,  INTUC secretary;  Shri P V Satyanesan, AITUC State Committee member; and Shri M K Vishwanathan,  Project Officer (Coir) spoke