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Prakash M. Swamy

Addressing a roadshow organised by the Consulate-General of India in New York and India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), the Coir Board Chairman, Mr Christy Fernandez, said a network of outlets was also being planned in the US with the help of exporters to market coir products in a big way.

NEW YORK, June 7

THE Coir Board would use the latest market intelligence methods, commission powerful lobbyists and establish right connections at the Capitol Hill with a view to increasing the share of coir exports, the Coir Board Chairman, Mr Christy Fernandez, said here.

Addressing a roadshow organised by the Consulate-General of India in New York and India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), he said a network of outlets was also being planned in the US with the help of exporters to market coir products in a big way. Mr Fernandez was part of a four-member delegation led by the Secretary of the Ministry of Small-Scale Industries, Mr Ashok Pradhan that visited Brazil, Chile, Panama and the US. The other members of the delegation were leading coir exporters — Dr K.S. Subash, Partner of Koncherry Coir Factories, Cherthala, Kerala, and Mr C.S. Suresh, Managing Partner of Techno Exports, Cochin.

The Coir Board is also working on the issue of increasing capacity building and likely to seek the expertise of US in areas such as mobile testing laboratories, developing customised products with the help of extensive research in both laboratories and fields, identifying newer products and applying cost effective applications, he said.

Although the US takes over 40 per cent of global textile needs, India could not supply geo textiles due to short delivery schedules and price factor. The exorbitant cost of freight adds to the agony. Sri Lankan geo textiles are available cheaper due to freight advantage. Also, coir has been classified as extiles in the US attracting duty. Efforts will be on to promote the rustic rural and divine product in a big way in the US market, he said.

To attract the US market, the Board is planning more multi-disciplinary networking and not mere commercial networking. It would work with civil engineers, lawmakers environmental experts, agronomists, construction engineers, he added.

"We are also looking at joint venture partners in the US since labour is cheap in India. With the help of US technology, value-added products can be shipped to US at reduced freight rates and American companies can customise the products to suit their needs. We are also planning to hire professional and project consultants to help promote Indian coir," he said.

Mr Fernandez said the Board has plans to reshape its research and development and production programs to customise the needs of end-users and capture the American market in a big way.

"Coir is facing a recognition problem here despite being ideally suitable for use in the US market. Coir has been used in soil tabilisation, environmental protection efforts and bio-engineering." However, the major problem for the producers in India is near absence of any specification. Although the US and UK markets have done specification studies, the problem gets accentuated with not all the States in the US following the same pattern. And, till now coir is not pushed as a lifestyle product and but more as an engineering product. Coir needs major acceptance by the American regulatory agencies such as the USDA, EPA besides research institutions, which would help increase its presence, he added.

Geo textiles are aesthetically accepted in place of synthetic ones, which cause pollution and environmental damage besides being non-biodegradable. The US has been using bio-degradable geo textiles and its share is increasing. However, the share of coir is miniscule all over the world. The US consumes 1,400 million square meters of geo textiles of which coir accounts for a mere two per cent, he said.

Mr Fernandez said the concept of using geo textiles to save mother earth has become part of the worldwide mission. There is a growing environmental awareness to protect the top soil of earth, which is a principle resource that retains life on the planet. Six billion tonnes of top soil are being disturbed every year around the globe and only steps are taken to control it by erosion control and vegetative mechanism.

Mr Pradhan said the visit of the delegation to Latin American countries was fruitful and led to more exposure of Indian coir. The Ministry would respond to the issue of classification of coir as textiles.

Mr Rudy Warjri, Deputy Consul-General and head of commerce wing at the consulate, welcoming the gathering said a thorough market survey would enlighten the Coir Board and assured of the consulate's help in the task. He said coir fibre extracted from the fibrous covering of coconut coir is natural, bio-degradable and environment-friendly. Coir is tough and durable, versatile and resilient, resilient to flame and fungi, provides insulation and helps sound modulation. Coir pith is the dust after extracting coir fibre. Hygroscopic in nature, good soil conditioner and acts as a substitute for `peat moss' in horticulture.

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