Coir Board lures entrepreneurs

KOZHIKODE: Eyeing on the large quantities of coconut husks being wasted away in Malabar, the Coir Board is planning a massive campaign to create awareness among prospective entrepreneurs in the sector.The Board has cited a potential for establishment of 621 fibre extract units in Malabar, which can provide direct employment to 12,500 workers in the region besides giving indirect employment to more than 25,000 persons.‘‘The present utilisation of coconut husks for coir industry in Kerala is only 38 percent, while there is a potential for enhancing it to 50 percent,’’ said M Kumaraswamy Pillai, the Coir Board regional officer.The region, comprising five districts of Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod, with a total of 4,06,800 hectare under coconut cultivation, has a total annual production of 3,107 million nuts. This would mean 1,24,280 metric tonne fibre potential at 50 percent utilisation of husks, the official figures show.As many as 180 fibre units could be set up in Malappuram district where the fibre potential is estimated at 36,000 mt. Kozhikode, where the potential is put at 34,160 mt, would follow with 170 units while Kannur (33,680 mt) has a potential for 168 units.Ninety five fibre extracting units can come up in Kasargod, which has a fibre potential of 18,840, while the remaining eight would come up in Wayanad which has recorded the region’s lowest fibre potential of 1,600 mt.‘‘Our state stands number one in the country with an annual production of 600 crores of coconuts. It, however, depends largely on Tamil Nadu for the supply of coir fibre as the production of rotted fibre is getting diminished in Kerala,’’ Pillai pointed out.An average of about 80,000 mt of coir fibre extracted from green husks is being brought from Pollachi, Tenkasi, Cumbam and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu, while large quantity of coconut husks are being wasted away in Malabar, he added.The regional office in Kannur, which caters to the requirements of Kerala and Lakshadweep, has already provided training to more than 1,000 women in spinning coir yarn. It has also undertaken field demonstrations in the composting of coir pith in more than 10 places.‘‘We are organising a workshop in the development of coir industry here in Kozhikode, to create awareness among the prospective entrepreneurs in the establishment of coir units in Malabar,’’ the regional officer said.Being organised with the support of International Erosion Control Association, the workshop will be held at Hotel Hyson Heritage at 10 am on March 19.Experts from Coir Board, Central Plantations Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasargod, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Small Industries Service Institute (SISI), Thrissur and State Industries Department will take part in the workshop which will be inaugurated by Mayor M Bhaskaran. Coir Board chairman A C Jose will preside.

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