170 foreign buyers to attend Coir Kerala fair

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 24 (IANS) The upcoming Coir Kerala 2015 trade fair starting Feb 1 would see the participation of 170 foreign buyers from 53 countries, a Kerala minister said Saturday.

The fifth edition of Coir Kerala 2015, billed as the world's biggest trade event on coir and natural fibres, will be held in Alappuzha from February 1-5 .

Kerala Minister for Revenue and Coir Adoor Prakash told reporters here that this event has now become a sought-after one for foreign buyers as there would be a one to one discussion for placing orders.

"This event has actually spurred the growth of coir exports in the country from Rs 807 crore in 2010-11 to a record Rs 1,476 crore in the last fiscal, and by 2016-17, we are targeting the export of coir products to Rs 2,500 crore," said Prakash.

The five-day event brings together scientists, researchers and policy makers to discuss strategies and new projects to create jobs and improve the working conditions of workers in the traditional coir industry.

Today, this industry has seen the number of employees dipping from more than four lakh to around 2.5 lakh.

"This has become a sector where there are very few new people coming for jobs. Over the years, one good thing that has happened is today there is modern equipment such as defibring unit, weaving, spinning and machine looms. We are now giving training to the employees who are in the industry," said Prakash.

Kerala coir exports account for 75 percent of the country's coir exports and over the years, the daily wages also have gone up from Rs 100 in 2011 to Rs 300 a day.

Among the products that would be displayed in the 250 stalls are furnishings, geotextiles, fancy and gift articles made of coir which also include bangles and necklaces.