Coir Board aims to export products worth Rs 700 cr
George Joseph / Kochi Jun 12, 2009, 00:04 IST
The Coir Board has fixed a target of 225,000 tonnes of coir-based products, valued at Rs 700 crore, to be exported in the current financial year. This is in light of 199,925 tonnes (valued at Rs 640 crore) exported in the last financial year. Despite the global economic meltdown, total exports have surpassed the Rs 600-crore target set by the board in 2008-09.
In value terms, exports recorded a growth of 7.94 per cent and 6.59 per cent in terms of volume against 187,560 tonnes valued at Rs 593 crore during 2007-08. Coir pith accounted for 51 per cent of the total volume of exports in 2008-09.
The board chairman VS Vijayaraghavan said it had already submitted a detailed report to the Commerce Ministry suggesting measures that could provide greater thrust to the substitution of synthetic fibre by natural fibre products in traditional and emerging markets including South and Latin American countries, Europe and Australia.
The board also suggested proposals to increase the duty drawback scheme from 2.5 per cent to 4 per cent, DEPB from 1.5 per cent to 3 per cent and to continue the existing schemes such as Focus Products Scheme, Visesh Krishi Gram Udyog Yojana and Market Access Initiative under the existing foreign trade policy. On the domestic front, the board plans to energise the existing showrooms and sale outlets spread across the country by introducing various incentive schemes to boost sales.
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