The Hindu Business Line : H1 coir exports dip

A DROP in shipments of high value items has led to decline in export of coir products during the first half of the current fiscal, albeit marginally, compared with the same period a year ago. However, there has been an increase in volume.

Total exports during H1 stood at 63,076 tonnes valued at Rs 221.08 crore as against 57,895 tonnes worth Rs 228.92 crore in April-September 2004-05, registering a drop of Rs 7.84 crore in value and an increase of 5,181 tonnes in volume, a senior Coir Board source told Business Line.

The export target set by the Centre for the current fiscal is Rs 500 crore.

He said for the first time in several years, export of coir mats declined marginally. As against 27,842 tonnes valued at Rs 172.54 crore in the first half of last fiscal, 27,721 tonnes valued at Rs 166.49 crore were exported in the same period this year.

Except coir pith and coir geo-textiles, all the other items declined during the period, he said.

Shipments of coir pith, discarded as waste until few years ago, had gone up to 26,155 tonnes worth Rs 18.28 crore during H1of this year from 19,937 tonnes valued at Rs 13.76 crore in the corresponding period last year.

Exports of coir geo-textiles also increased to 1,372 tonnes valued at Rs 5.97 crore from 1,166 tonnes worth Rs 5.23 crore.

Decline in shipments of coir mattings and rugs and carpets continued this year also due to the availability of cheap and attractive substitutes made of synthetic and other natural fibre materials in the world market. Besides, there has been a change in the interior decoration concepts world over and as a result oriental carpets had taken over the place of coir mattings, he said. Normally, the peak season for coir products in Europe and the US begins during the Christmas season and hence exports were expected to pick up in the coming weeks, he said.

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