Coir cooperative societies in Kerala will soon be converted into modern factories. Along with this, more benefits will be given to traditional coir workers, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
He was inaugurating the seventh Coir Kerala fest here on Thursday.
New technologies
With the advent of modernisation in the coir industry there would be demand for newer technology. This, he said, would attract the new generation to this sector.
In the next three years all coir workers would be given electronic ‘ratts’ through the cooperative societies. Necessary training would be given to use this.
Vanishing groves
In Kerala, a land of coconut trees, there are more rubber plantations than coconut groves. The resulting dip in coconut production has also hit the coir industry.
Once Tamil Nadu started taking advantage of this situation, Kerala was forced to depend on Tamil Nadu for its coconut fibre requirements.
If the production of coconut goes up so would the supply of coir, he said.
The second reorganisation of the coir industry is the government’s intervention in this sector.
Marketing network
The identification of marketing networks and rebates for products that are given to all traditional sectors would be given to the coir industry also, he said.
The international pavilion at the fest was inaugurated by the Minister for Public Works G. Sudhakaran.
Golden fibre
In his speech, he pointed out that coir which was languishing was converted into a golden fibre by the Left government. The coir sector would be back on its feet if all families in the State were to buy coir products worth ₹1,000.
The national pavilion was inaugurated by Civil Supplies Minister P. Thilothaman.
The expansion of the domestic market for coir would help the State stabilise itsef if there was volatility in the international market, he said.
The book Kerala Coir — The Agenda for Modernisation, written by Coir Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac, was released on the occasion.
