The State Government will continue to apply pressure on the Centre for inclusion of husk procurement in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Minister for Rural Development K.C. Joseph has said.

Speaking at the national seminar at Coir Kerala 2013 here, he said that linking the employment guarantee scheme with the production process will benefit a number of sectors.

“Husk procurement has not been included in the scheme despite our repeated requests. It would go some way in resolving the raw material crisis currently faced by the coir industry,” the Minister said.

Joseph also pointed out that unless incomes rise in proportion to production costs, coir sector will continue to face an exodus of skilled workers. He called for speeding up of the mechanisation process and efforts to expand global markets.

Minister for Water Resources P.J. Joseph pointed out that coir geo-textiles were used in the construction of the Secretariat Complex in Thiruvananthapuram and they have degraded very little even after ten years. Coir sector can be revived if more emphasis is put on product diversification, he said.

G. Balachandran, Chairman, Coir Board, said that despite the collapse of a number of traditional industries, there is optimism about the future of coir.

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