Click to play videoAlleppey: The age-old coir industry of Kerala got a major boost on Saturday with business deals worth crores being signed at the second edition of the Coir Kerala International Marketing Exhibition, held in Allapuzha - the Venice of the East. The representatives of Kerala's coir industry say that valued added products like coir pith and coco lawn will bring in nearly Rs 10 billion after exports.
Adoor Prakash, Kerala's Coir Minister, said, "This time there are about 85 delegates from 32 countries, while last time, the number was below 20. And they have shown a lot of interest in our products and have already signed good deals with our exporters."
Martin, a delegate from France, said, "This is a good opportunity to meet all manufacturers and exporters under one roof. I am very interested in many products here like the coco and the coir mattresses."
However, just a few kilometres away from the mega exhibition, the grim reality of the coir workers tells a shockingly different tale.
62-year-old Narayanan struggles to make ends meet. He has a Rs 5 lakh loan to pay. His weaving unit has not seen much work in the past few months. Clearly the profits from coir exports haven't trickled down to the weavers.
Narayanan says, "Earlier we used to get regular work and we could lead a decent life with the income. But now there is hardly any work. Only those who are old, not capable of doing any other job, stick to this field now."
At a time when the coir labourers in Kerala are finding it hard to sustain their jobs, the state government is trying to tap its true potential. The Coir Kerala 2012 is one such attempt to woo the international market and revive the traditional industry.
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