Thanks to an approach guided by vernacular methods that responds to the local climate, shafts of sunlight have begun peeking through the braided coconut thatches of Kerala after a long gap.
The 800-odd coconut thatch-making units registered under the State’s Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission are on track to reap a windfall this year on the back of a renewed demand for the traditional roofing material from the State’s tourism industry. As per estimates, the units have together supplied 40,000 pieces of braided fronds to the State’s hospitality industry this year while the overall production level is set to touch two lakh pieces by year end.
The orders, received through an online platform run by the RT Mission, are being booked through a network of manufacturing and supplying units comprising primarily the rural womenfolk. A fair share of these units is located in the backwater landscapes of Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode districts.
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The average price of a set of fronds comprising two leaves is pegged at ₹18. Of this, the manufacturers get ₹14 while the remaining goes to the supplying agent.
“The revenue from the business is estimated to be around ₹36 lakh for this year. The durability of these fronds, braided after subjecting to the traditional water-processing method, is much higher when compared to its counterparts in the neighbouring States,” said K. Roopesh Kumar, coordinator, State Responsible Tourism Mission.
He attributed the sudden surge in demand for coconut thatches to a crucial intervention made by Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran and the Kerala Travel Mart-2018 held in Kochi.
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Besides the sales revenue, the manufacturing units are raking in additional income in the form of tourist visits. “These braiding units, alongside the traditional hand-loom or toddy-tapping units, also form an essential part of our village life experience packages. For instance, a large number of foreigners visiting Kumarakom often drop-in at the house of Sathi Murali, who earns a living by plaiting coconut fronds, just to see how she locks a leaf,” he added.
Commenting on the initiative, Kerala Tourism director P. Bala Kiran said the government was working on a plan to expand the business. “The business of coconut mats achieved traction primarily owing to the bulk orders by the hoteliers while we have also begun to receive orders from a few parties outside the sector,” he said.
According to him, the State government is now on a mission to expand the total number of RT units to 25,000 in one year from the current 16,000 odd units. “Now the challenge is to provide business for the one lakh targeted beneficiaries and we are working on a plan to towards achieving it,” he said.