The Hindu Business Line : Coir exports may touch Rs 400 cr this fiscal

LARGE markets could be developed for Indian coir fibre-based products, if the industry diversified in to non-traditional applications such as construction, automotive manufacture/assembly and other consumer items meeting the consumer preference in the importer countries.

The major exporters of coir products are India and Sri Lanka with an annual export of an average 54,300 tonnes and 54,180 tonnes respectively during the past five years till 2002, according to a report of the Asia Pacific Coconut Community (APCC). However, India exports coir fibre in the form of high value-processed products such as coir yarn, coir mats, coir mattings and rubberised coir fibre. Where as, Sri Lanka mainly ships out raw coir such as mattress fibre and coir yarn. Small amount of products is also exported by Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines, it said.

The consumer preference for environment-friendly products of late has been the major driving force to push the demand for coir fibre products in the world market. This has resulted in an annual growth of 5.28 per cent in the last five years, it said. Though 70 countries import coir fibre products, Netherlands, Germany, UK, Spain, the US and Japan accounted for large imports. World exports of coir fibre products in 2002 stood at 1,52,394 tonnes.

The shift is evident from the export of Indian coir products which has gone up to 90,076 tonnes valued at Rs 366.57 crore during April-February 2003-04 as against 75,410 tonnes valued at Rs 316.14 crore in the same period last fiscal, Mr P. Ajith Kumar, Joint Director, Coir Board, told Business Line. The increase was 16 per cent in value and 19 per cent in quantity, he said.

Given this trend, the total exports might touch Rs 400 crore during the current fiscal, he said. Preference towards natural products and the longevity of coir and its hard characteristics had found favour in the customers for its products, he added.

One of the major factors impeding the growth in the export of coir products is the "increasing freight rates". In the absence of transhipment terminal in the southern peninsula, the consignments have to be sent to Colombo for further shipments and this increases further the freight cost, industry sources said.

The export growth in recent years, albeit marginal, has become an encouraging factor for setting up more coir processing facilities in coconut producing countries.

It is well absorbed by the local markets. In the local markets in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, the use of mattress from rubberised fibre is increasingly popular now, says the APCC report. The prospects for coir fibre products would depend on two major factors viz., direct market access and shipping rates.

If the producing countries could overcome the shipping problems besides being able to meet the consumers preference for environment friendly products ``we could see good prospects for coir fibre products in the future,'' says the APCC, adding large market could be developed for diverse products, especially in the non-traditional applications.

In India, research is on todevelop coir fibre-based products for use in non-traditional applications apart from evolving new designs , he said.

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