Coir industry to get facelift

The Coir Board is implementing a project to modernise the coir industry, which is mostly confined to Kerala, for which it is placing orders for new and modern machinery.

Through the project, units will be assisted under "Rejuvenation, Modernisation and Technology Upgradation (REMOT) of Coir Industry" scheme, according to a statement posted on the website of the Federation of Indian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (FISME).

The board wants to install items of machinery such as mobile fibre extracting machines, motorised traditional ratt, automatic spinning units, automatic mini coir spinning machines, rejuvenated handlooms, fibre extraction machines, coir ornaments and handicrafts manufacture and other equipment.

According to a board notification, only BIS-approved motors/starters or electrical fittings should be incorporated in the machines in all the above projects. All the machines should be robust in construction run without any vibrations, giving the required output as specified, the statement said.

Towards this, the Coir Board is inviting bids from the reputed coir machinery manufacturers including government enterprises for supply of coir machineries.

REMOT was launched in 2007-08 on a pilot basis to facilitate the sustainable development of the spinning and tiny/household weaving units of the coir industry by providing proper work sheds and enabling replacement of traditional ratts with motorised ratts.

The scheme aims to develop the supply of basic raw material at the grass root level of the coir industry to ensure continuous supply of quality coir yarn throughout the year, the statement added.