• Home to the Indian coir industry, Kerala accounts for 61% of coconut production and over 85% of coir products. The first coir factory, Darragh Smail & Co, was established by Irish-American entrepreneur James Darragh and Henry Smail in 1859 to manufacture coir floor furnishings.
  • “Minister of Coir and Finance TM Thomas Isaac, who hails from Alappuzha, first mooted the idea of revamping the factories,” says Sajan B Nair, Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Coir Exporters’ Association. The aim was to encourage tourists who throng the seaside town to experience its history, art and culture, and not just the houseboats. “Currently almost 70%-80% of the units [of about 10,000 registered with the Coir Board] are actively in production,” he says, explaining that Alappuzha Port lost business when the Cochin Port opened. “There was a reversal in the fortunes of Alappuzha then.”