Faced with an unprecedented challenge due to a lack of demand for traditional coir products in the overseas market, the State-owned Coir Corporation has decided to go for rebranding of products to sustain the sector that employs thousands of people.
The corporation is set to rope in specialists from the National Institute of Design (NID), Bhopal to redesign existing products and create innovative products in line with market trends. G. Venugopal, chairman, Kerala State Coir Corporation (KSCC), says reinvention is the need of the hour. “The demand for traditional coir products such as fibre mats has declined drastically in Europe and other overseas markets following the COVID-19 pandemic. We should come up with products that are attractive and pass muster with overseas and domestic customers. Our efforts to revamp existing products, increase the production of items with sales potential and creation of new products will infuse a fresh lease of life into the coir sector,” says Mr. Venugopal.
Redeploying workforce
Confirming the dire situation and the need for change in the sector, Mr. Venugopal says that traditional coir products worth ₹37 crore are piled up in godowns. While the demand for fibre mats has plunged, officials say the most export orders received post-pandemic are for products like rope mats, rod mats and so on. The corporation plans to steer a good number of employees involved in the making of fibre mats and other products with poor demand to the manufacturing of new products and those with good market potential by providing them proper training with government assistance.
“The introduction of tufted coir mats has adversely affected the standing of handloom coir products in the export market. But some of the products are still in demand. Several workers in fibre mat manufacturing units are currently unemployed. On the other hand, there is a shortage of hands in the making of products like rope mats. We will provide training to employees so that they can be redeployed,” says Mr. Venugopal.
Training curriculum
The corporation officials held discussions with a visiting NID team led by its director Dhiraj Kumar in the last couple of days. “The NID will modify existing products and suggest new products by blending coir and other natural fibres. They will also send a few interns to train our officials. Further, a curriculum will be prepared with the help of NID to train workers in the coir sector for manufacturing market-oriented products,” says Pratheesh G. Panicker, managing director, KSSC.
The corporation will soon sign an agreement with Kerala Automobiles to distribute seats to e-autos. It is in talks with coal mines in various States to supply coir geotextiles, which according to officials will “open a huge market for geotextiles.” It has recently set up a mattress finishing unit at Kanichukulangara and received orders to the tune of ₹1.25 crore.
