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The administration will draw up plans to encourage the coir industry in the major coconut growing areas, such as Pollachi, Coimbatore, Theni, Madurai, Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli.

Chennai , Nov. 18

THE Tamil Nadu Government and the Coir Board have announced a Rs 44.35-crore plan on Tuesday to make more coir products, to generate more jobs and boost exports, in the process using up the abundant coir available locally.

Mr C. Chandran, Chairman, Coir Board, said the programme would help to use the 1.44-lakh tonnes of coconut husk available locally, of which only half is being used. The rest is sold to other States during shortage caused by drought and pest infestation. Otherwise, it is not viable to transport husk over long distances.

The Coir Board and the Government hope to increase investments in the coir-based industry. The Government will support the project under its New Anna Marumalarchi Thittam, a rejuvenation scheme that seeks to bring in Rs 1-crore investment in the agro-based industries in each of its 385 administrative blocks.

Tamil Nadu's exports, mostly coir pith, is just 5 per cent of the country's Rs 350-crore coir products export.

The administration will draw up plans to encourage the coir industry in the major coconut growing areas, such as Pollachi, Coimbatore, Theni, Madurai, Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli. The Government will help develop a cluster of such industries in Theni, where common facilities will be provided for investors.

According to Mr Chandran, apart from traditional products such as rope, mats and mattresses, the fibre can be used to make boards that can substitute wood in the construction industry.

Coir meshes, known as geo-textiles, can be applied on large tracts of land to prevent soil erosion. Coir pith can be used to grow plants when soil is bad.

The Coir Board is considering giving a 25 per cent subsidy to coir mesh buyers to encourage the product.

The programme can easily be made a success. "Just imagine,'' he said, "if every household in the State buys a coir doormat. It would be enough to support the entire industry, generate crores in rural income and provide thousands of jobs, apart from helping people to keep their feet clean."

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