Coir Board prepares blueprint with Rs 3,000-crore outlay

Coir Board has prepared a blueprint envisaging a total financial outlay of Rs 3,000 crore for the Indian coir industry in the next five years. Tamil Nadu will get a financial outlay of Rs 739 crore to be expended over a period of five years.

Addressing mediapersons, C Chandran, chairman of Coir Board, said: "Rs 1,000 crore will be available by way of plan investment and the remaining Rs 2,000 crore will have to come by way of credit flow from various banks and financial institutions."

Tamil Nadu has allocated the total financial outlay under various segments such as allotment of Rs 139 crore to 1,390 coir weaving units, Rs 175 crore to 100 coir pith units, and Rs 75 crore to 1,260 yarn and coir ropes units. The coir export and upgradation of coir technology will get an allocation of Rs 40 crore.

Close to Rs 128 crore will be spent on new coir extraction, collection of husk and incentive for husk collection. Rubberised coir, coir composites and erosion control blankets will obtain Rs 141 crore.

The coir industry in Tamil Nadu is concentrated in the districts of Kanyakumari, Thanjavur, Madurai, Coimbatore (Pollachi), Salem and Tirunelveli.

Vellore is the latest entrant for coir production. Potential areas will be fibre processing units, curled coir units, automatic spinning units, mat weaving units geotextile units, rubberised coir units, coir composite units and coir pith processing units.

The Coir Board has prepared a 'Millennium Development Mission' document for quantum jump in the coir sector. The major growth potential areas identified are to increase the export performance by 25 per cent each year and achieve export performance of Rs 1,000 crore by 2008-09, to harmonise and modernise the research and development units with international agencies to provide scientific and technological solutions for new products and process.

The coir industry provides employment to about 74,698 people in Tamil Nadu. There are 5,491 coir units in the state of which 5,426 are in private sector. Tamil Nadu produces about 1,33,000 tonnes of coconut fibre of which 47 per cent husk is utilised.