The State government is committed to promoting Kerala brand coir products across the country, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac has said.
He was flagging off the first consignment of coir products to Jammu and Kashmir under the aegis of the Kerala State Coir Corporation here on Saturday.
“The global market for coir products is shrinking and as such it is important to find domestic market. Unlike in Kerala, people in other States are largely unaware about coir products. Coir products are hardly seen in supermarkets in northern States. The aim of the government is to place stands for coir products in all supermarkets across the country. We will also continue to expand the domestic coir market through the Coir Corporation and other public sector enterprises,” Dr. Isaac said.
The Minister said there were many takers for coir products in States such as Himachal Pradesh and the Northeast. “As part of expanding the market base, we are ready to provide coir products to anyone through franchisee or other means with guarantee,” Dr. Isaac added.
In the first consignment, coir products worth ₹10 lakh have been dispatched to Jammu and Kashmir. The Kerala State Coir Corporation is on a mission to create a wide domestic network comprising of retailers and wholesalers for marketing the coir products. As of now, the corporation has set up outlets in Delhi, UP, Assam, Gujarat, Jharkhand and West Bengal. It will launch outlets in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Punjab, Odisha and Bihar soon. The corporation is expecting an additional revenue of 25 crore from the domestic market in the current fiscal, the Minister said.
Coir Corporation chairman R. Nazar, managing director G. Sreekumar, directors N.R. Baburaj, P.K. Surendran and others were present at the function.
