The Hindu Business Line : Panel for coir sector revamp

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug. 14 The Kerala Government has constituted a commission to suggest ways for carrying out a comprehensive restructuring of the State’s coir sector.

The commission will, among other things, look into the question of time-bound modernisation and restructuring of the traditional sector and the measures to be adopted to ensure a healthy relationship between the export agencies and the small-scale coir units.

The commission will study and suggest steps to help maintain the employment security and welfare of the coir workers. It will also redefine the functioning of the public sector undertakings in the sector and spell out ways to strengthen the coir cooperative societies.

The Minister for Coir Development, Mr G. Sudhakaran, said the commission had been entrusted with the task of identifying the specific areas of research required to develop the coir sector and suggesting ways to establish a link for transferring the research results to the industry. It would also look at the measures to be taken for developing the export market using the Kerala brand name.

Terms of reference

The other terms of reference of the commission include enabling the coir industry to manufacture modern hybrid products using coir and other natural fibres and thereby making Alappuzha district an important global hub of carpet industry; developing the domestic market for coir products; and ensuring the price stability of coir and coir products in tune with the production costs.

The Minister said the commission would examine the reports of earlier studies in this direction and also elicit the views of all the sections of the coir industry before preparing its own report.

The details of the projects to be implemented and the resources required for the purpose would also feature in the commission’s report, he said.