Exports of coir products from the country have shown a marginal increase of 1.22 per cent in 2008-09, as per the provisional estimates of the Coir Board.
Total annual exports figured at 189,858 tonnes against 187,567 tonnes in 2007-08. Value realisation has edged up by 5.22 per cent at Rs 623.80 crore against Rs 592.88 crore in the previous financial year. During March, exports have faced a more serious setback, as a 1.58 per cent drop was recorded in volume while in value terms the decrease was 12.85 per cent.
On 15 March, 618 tonnes of coir products valued at Rs 45.03 crore were shipped, against 15,868 tonnes valued at Rs 51.68 crore in March, 2007. This was mainly due to the poor offtake by traditional buyers of Indian coir products, thanks to economic recession. It is expected that the drop would be much more serious in the current financial year. Except coir fibre and coir pith, all the nine coir-based products have registered a downward trend in exports during 2008-09.
The most affected area was coir rugs and carpets, of which volume-wise drop was 64 per cent while 50 per cent decrease has been registered in value.
Interestingly, export of these products was nil in March against 25 tonnes valued at Rs 21.90 lakh in March 2008. Total yearly export of coir rugs and carpets was 64 tonnes, valued at Rs 67.63 lakh, against 178 tonne valued at Rs 1.34 crore in the previous financial year.
A 37 per cent drop was registered in the exports of coir yarn, while coir mattings registered a drop of 23 per cent during 2008-09.
A total of 13,372 tonnes of coir fibre valued at Rs 16.63 crore were shipped, against 11,102 tonnes valued at Rs 12.24 crore in 2007-08, registering a growth of 20 per cent and 36 per cent, respectively. 93,479 tonnes of coir pith were exported showing a growth of 12 per cent against 83,613 tonnes. Value-wise growth was 27 per cent at Rs 80.93 crore, against Rs 63.84 crore in 2007-08.