The expert committee appointed by the State government to examine various issues affecting the coir sector has submitted an interim report and their recommendations will be implemented after discussions with the stakeholders and trade union leaders, Industries and Coir Minister P. Rajeeve has said.
He was speaking to mediapersons after holding talks with representatives of coir labour unions in Alappuzha on Wednesday. Mr. Rajeeve said the committee had prepared the report after discussions with trade unions, producers, small-scale units, and exporters.
The report contains several recommendations regarding coconut husk procurement, production of coconut fibre, coir spinning sector, coir products manufacturing sector, export, small-scale sector, public sector undertakings, societies, prospects of coir geotextiles, Coir Board, mechanisation, and so on. “The government has not yet approved the interim report. We hope to accept the recommendations after discussions at various levels,” the Minister said.
He said the Coir Corporation had started clearing stocked items and began fresh procurement. Coir stored at five of the 16 godowns of the Coirfed had been sold.
Mr. Rajeeve urged the coir sector to come up with new products. He said the government would implement a project to train employees in making products in line with market trends. “The government has given its approval for the ₹4.8 crore training project. In the initial phase, a sum of ₹ 1 crore will be spent this year,” the Minister said.
To address the shortage of working capital, Mr. Rajeeve said the government had decided to distribute ₹6.5 crore to societies. He said the Centre owed ₹53 crore to the Coir Corporation.
The Minister said a rate fixation committee would be formed to fix the price of coconut fibre, coir geotextiles, and coir. The salary of employees in the coir sector would be increased after discussions. The government had spent ₹233.08 crore in the coir sector in the last two years, Mr. Rajeeve said.
Coir Corporation chairman G. Venugopal, Coirfed chairman T. K. Devakumar, Coir Development director V.R. Vinod, and others attended the meeting.
