Coir Expo in Alappuzha from Feb 4

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 13 (PTI) The Coir Developmentdepartment in Kerala is to organise Coir Kerala 2011,'' thelargest ever expo on coir and natural fibre products of thestate from February 4 to 7 in Alappuzha.

State Minister for Co-operation and Coir G Sudhakarantold reporters here that the expo would create opportunity fortransfer of technology, know-how and widening of contact base,besides providing a platform for interaction on business,trading and joint ventures.

Coir exporters, mainly from Kerala and Tamil Nadu andexporters of other natural fibre from across the country andmodern coir machinery manufacturers would participate in theexpo, he said.

Around 100 exporting companies would exhibit theirproducts in the international pavillion, while 150 exhibitorswould take part in the domestic pavillion. An internationalseminar and a buyer-seller meet would be the highlights of themega event, the minister said.

He said the state government had devised severalstrategies to vitalize coir industry infusing innovativemarketing technologies, based on the recommendations of theCoir Commission report. The state''s coir industry was on thethreshold of an exciting future, the minister said.

Some of the major programmes implemented in the sectorincluded debt relief to coir workers, incentives for sustainedproduction, skill upgradation of coir workers, generation ofmore employment opportunities, better market intervention,re-organisation of coir PSUs and establishment of de-fiberingmills, he said.

A coir machinery manufacturing factory was in the finalstages of completion at Alappuzha which was meant toaccelerate the activities related to the modernisation of theindustry. A number of defibering units had also started in thestate to meet the raw material requirements of coir industry.

He said the government had devised a spectrum ofmarketing tools for the resurgence of coir sector and plannedto conduct the Coir Expo every year.