The Centre is considering a proposal for setting up of a National Coir Mission for the development of coir industry, particularly the export-oriented production sector, said Dinsha J Patel, Union Minister of State for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME).
Under this, there will be pilot schemes for various activities like collection of coconut husk, procurement of fibre and also incentives to boost exports.
Inaugurating the two-day golden jubilee celebrations of the Central Coir Research Institute(CCRI) at Kalavoor, near Alappuzha, the minister said the coir industry, which comprises more than 80 per cent women, is second only to agriculture in terms of employment generation.
He said the Centre had more than doubled its allocation amounting to Rs 282.41 crore for the coir during the 11th Five-year Plan as against Rs 115 crore allocated in the previous Plan.
The recession had little impact on India’s coir exports during last year, he said, adding the prospects of touching the current year’s target of Rs 700 crore mark was also bright going by the performance so far
Patel today handed over the technology of mobile fibre extraction machine, the latest in the technology series developed by CCRI, to the National Coir Research and Management Institute of the Kerala government in the presence of Coir Board chairman VS Vijayaraghavan.