Tap potential of coir products: Antony

Union Minister A K Antony has called for joint efforts by the Centre and the Kerala government to tap the growing worldwide demand for environment-friendly coir products.
Inaugurating the Coir Expo 2014 here last evening, he asked the government and promotional agencies like Coir Board to forumulate imaginative methods for tapping markets within and outside the country.
"The worldwide demand for environment-friendly products is growing fast...Products made of bio-degradable coir yarn have huge market...Proper marketing and diversification of products are important to tap this market," he said.
Though statistics showed sales and exports of coir products as increasing year by year, there was "something wrong

somewhere" as far as this traditional sector was concerned, he said.
It was time that the government and agencies involved detected the actual problem and took remedial measures to restore health to this sector, he said.

Union Minister K C Venugopal and state Coir Minister Adoor Prakash were present.
A wide range of coir products and processing technologies are on display at the expo, which is being attended by business delegates from various parts of the country.
An ancient commercial town which has run into decline since the mid-20th century, Alappuzha was once the world's largest coir producing and exporting centre.