Kerala, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Orissa, Assam, Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, etc. Modern machines were introduced into the coir industry in the late 1960's. About 5.5 lakh persons get employment in this industry. India exports around Rs.1000 crores of coir and coir products annually. Coconut husk is the basic raw material for coir products. FCoir or Cocos - Nature's wonder fiber is extracted from the protective husk of the Coconut. This golden fibre is spun into a wide range of textured yarn and woven into a spectrum of colourful floor coverings. The husks separated from the nuts, are retted in lagoons upto ten months. The retted husks are then beaten with wooden mallets manually to produce the golden fiber. The fiber is later spun into yarn on traditional spinning wheels called "Ratts", ready for dyeing and weaving into myriad shades of floor coverings.
Other products of coir are, Geo-Textiles which are inexpensive, quick and effective in Civil Engineering practices. Rubberised coir, a blend of coir and latex, offers mattresses and cushioning for restful comfort and Pith which is now being widely used in agriculture as a natural hydroponic growing medium. Programmes for coir industry aims at increased utilisation of coconut husk for production of coir fibre, growth of the domestic market, strengthening of research and development to find out new uses of coir fibre especially in the areas of geo-fabric, acquiring of new technology like Vinyl backed coir products. Mechanisation in all areas of production like the defibering , spinning and weaving are implemented in a phased manner without affecting employment to make Indian coir products competitive in the export market. Modernisation of coir units has been propelled by providing incentives for installation of modern equipments to make the coir industry more productive and labour friendly. Coir products are exceptionally functional and virtually irreplaceable when it comes to economy, durability and beauty.
Some of the common attributes are it provides excellent insulation against temperature and sound. Tough and durable. resilient-springs back to shape even after constant use. Easy to clean. The coir manufacturing industry is producing coir mats, matting and other floor coverings, which was started in India on a factory basis, over a hundred years ago when the first factory was set up in Alleppey in 1859 by the Late Mr. James Darragh, an adventurous Irish born American national. Enterprising Indians followed the trail blazed by this foreigner. India accounts for more than two-thirds of the world production of coir and coir products. Amongst the coconut growing countries of the world India ranks 3rd after Philippines and Indonesia with 1.2 Million hectares of coconut growth and an average production of 6620 Million nuts.
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Secretary General
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