The Hindu Business Line : Coir products export top Rs 460 cr

GROWING demand for coir mats and coir pith in the world market of late has pushed up the total export earnings of coir and coir products during 2004-05 to an all-time high of Rs 460.63 crore, surpassing the set target of Rs 450 crore.

Shipments of coir mats stood at 56,531 tonnes valued at Rs 346.85 crore during the last fiscal as against 49,103 tonnes worth Rs 291.65 crore the previous financial year.

Coir pith, which was once considered a waste product and the disposal of mounds of which was a serious problem until recently, has now found a good market overseas.

Last fiscal, 40,027 tonnes of coir pith valued at Rs 28.34 crore were exported against 29,179 tonnes worth Rs 19.76 crore in 2003-04.

In 2004-05, 1,17,495 tonnes of coir and coir products valued at Rs 460.63 crore were exported as against 1,02,253 tonnes worth Rs 407.50 crore in 2003-04, registering an increase of Rs 53.13 crore.

In the absence of a suitable and effective substitute for coir mats, which have a superb functional advantage and brushing effect, the demand for it the world over is on the increase, according to Coir Board sources.

Growing awareness abroad of late about the coir pith's role as an excellent alternative for recycling in the farming system has pushed up its demand.

Incorporating coir pith improves the structure and physical properties of soil, a senior Board official told Business Line.

The advantage of coir pith is that it absorbs water in the range of 400-600 per cent of its weight and releases it to soil very slowly, he added.

Besides, application of 10 tonnes of coir pith per hectare is an effective ameliorative measure against saline and alkaline reactions of soil.

It is abundantly available as it forms 70 per cent of the weight of the coconut husk.

The increase in export of this product has proved that the promotional activities of it overseas have yielded positive results, he added.

It is now extensively used in horticultural operations and for manufacturing manure.

The Netherlands has become a major importer of coir pith mainly for value addition and re-export. Other main importers are Australia, the UK, the US, and New Zealand.

Coir fibre shipments have also shown a marginal increase last fiscal despite the fact that there was a shortage of it in the country, the official said.

However, exports of coir mattings, rugs and carpets, coir geo-textiles and other items continued to decline. Changes in the indoor decoration concept have resulted in the decline in exports of coir mattings, he added.

"Cheaper substitutes made of synthetic and other natural fibres such as jute are replacing the coir product."

Lack of awareness about the advantages of coir geo-textiles on one hand and the strong lobby of geo-synthetic product on the other seem to have made the penetration of market difficult, he said.

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