कयर बोर्ड

Coir- Fibre of Future/ New Age Fibre


  • बीते हुए उन पुराने दिनों की स्मृतियां ताज़ा करने पर मन संजीदा हो उठता है जब भारत के प्रत्येक आवास में, विशेषरूप से दक्षिण भारतीय अवासों में, खुद की रोप कोट मशीन हुआ करती थी और लोग संवाद करते हुए काम किया करते थे। चटाइयों से लेकर कयर प्लांट पोट तक सभी में प्राकृतिक फाइबर कयर का उपयोग चलन में था। परंतु वक्त बीतने के साथ, वैश्विक बाज़ार में प्राकृतिक फाइबर एवं इसके उत्पादों का इस्तेमाल चलन से बाहर होता चला गया। यदि हम वर्ष 2012 से पूर्व के इतिहास का अवलोकन करें तो ज्ञात होता है कि केरल के इस गोल्डन फाइबर ने अपना आधिपत्य खो दिया है और विश्व स्तर पर इसका नगण्य या नहीं के बराबर प्रतिनिधित्व रह गया है। साथ ही इसका परम्परागत उद्योगों पर बड़ा ही नकारात्मक प्रभाव पड़ा। यह कहना अतिश्योक्ति नहीं है कि आज भावी-फाइबर के रूप में इसकी अहमियत को फिर से कायम करने के लिए दीर्घकालिक वातावरण के सृजन में पर्यावरण-अनुकूल फाइबर की प्रासंगिकता चिंता की बात है। कयर को नारियल की हस्क से निकाला जाता है। कयर का नाता केरल राज्य से है जहां पर बड़े पैमाने पर नारियल के पेड़ लगाए जाते हैं तथा यहां दक्षिण के समुद्री तट पर संस्कृति से लेकर खान-पान तक सभी जगह नारियल का बहुत अधिक महत्व है। केरल को भगवान के देश के रूप में जाना जाता है, यह राज्य अकेले ही कुल नारियल के उत्पादन का 61% एवं कुल कयर उत्पाद का 85% हिस्सा प्रदान करता है। सदियों पूर्व कयर ने केरल राज्य में अपनी छोटी सी शुरूआत से बड़ा ही लंबा रास्ता तय कर लिया है। वर्तमान में, यह एक व्यवसायिक एवं आधुनिक उद्योग है जो कि भारत के तटीय क्षेत्र में फैला है। यह उल्लेख करना बड़ा ही रूचिकर है कि सामान्यतः केरल राज्य के अलप्पूझा जिले की सहत्रों महिलाएं नारियल हस्क के ढेर उठा कर लातीं हैं तथा उन्हें मशीनों में डाल देती हैं जिससे कयर दैनिक उपयोग के धागों में तब्दील हो जाता है। हालाँकि, पाश्चात्य संस्कृति के रूझान में वृद्धि होने की वजह से कयर से संबंधित घरेलू उद्योगों के लिए खतरा उत्पन्न हो गया है। परंतु समय बदलने के साथ, जब भारत में कयर उद्योग समेत कयर एवं कयर उत्पादों के निर्यात के बज़ारों का विकास करने के लिए संसद के अधिनियम अर्थात् कयर उद्योग अधिनियम, 1953 (1953 का 45) के अंर्तगत भारत सरकार ने वर्ष 1954 में कयर बोर्ड का गठन किया और पुरातन चलन फिर से लौट आया। इस बोर्ड का मुख्यालय केरल के कोचि में कयर हाउस में स्थित है तथा यह बोर्ड भारत के विभिन्न भागों में 48 स्थापनाओं का संचालन करता है। यह बोर्ड सभी स्टैकहोल्डरों की सहायता से मौजूद उद्योगों की मदद करने तथा नए उद्यमों के निर्माण को बढ़ावा देने तथा इससे रोज़गार सृजन एवं आय अर्जन करने के माध्यम से कयर उद्योग की वृद्धि एवं विकास का संवर्धन करने का विज़न रखता है।

  • आजीविका साधन के रूप में कयर
  • कयर उद्योग ऐसा कृषि आधिरित ग्रामोद्योग है जिससे देश के प्रमुख नारियल उत्पादक राज्यों के 7 लाख से अधिक श्रमिकों को रोज़गार मिला हुआ है। यह निर्यात उन्मुखी उद्योग है, जिसने वर्ष 2018-19 के दौरान देश के लिए 2192 करोड़ रू. (जनवरी, 2019 तक) से अधिक की आय अर्जित की है। कयर से जुड़े प्रसंस्करण कार्यकलापों से केरल, तमिलनाडु, कर्नाटक, आंध्रप्रदेश, तेलंगाना, ओडिशा आदि जैसे देश के नारियल उत्पादक राज्यों के ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों के निवासियों को रोज़गार प्राप्त होता है।

    Since coir is a labour intensive and export oriented industry, the government has also played a vital role in reviving the lost fame of the traditional Indian industry by introducing various schemes and programmes to promote it. The opportunities to initiate manufacturing of value added products and introducing schemes like SFURTI (Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries) and Coir Udyami Yojana has given wings to this golden industry. Not only this, it is interesting to note that the coir sector offers employment opportunities in households, co-operatives, NGOs, manufactures and exporters. With the concerted efforts of the Coir Board and the State Governments, the production of coir and its by-product in the major coconut producing States have been making a steady progress. The utilization of coconut husk by coir industry at the current level is estimated to be 40%. As per the latest available statistics, the total production of coconut in the country is 23904.10 million nuts.
  • Coir- Export oriented sector
  • Coir and coir products are now exported to 110 countries all over the world.
    It is interesting to note that the export of coir and coir products from the country touched an all-time high record of 756153 MT valued at Rs. 2192.45 crores during the year 2018-19.


  • Women empowerment

  • Most of the coir units in the country are located in rural areas and the workers belong to economically and socially weaker sections of the Society. It is estimated that 80% of the workforce in this sector are women and hence the industry contributes significantly to women empowerment.

    Coir industry is of great economic significance to the coconut producing States of the country as coconut husk, the raw material for Coir industry, is available in abundance in regions of concentrated coconut cultivation and this can be used for generation of employment and income to a sizeable number of people with relatively low investment. The promotion of the industry in the traditional and non-traditional coir producing states has enhanced employment opportunities and generation of income in the rural sector of the respective states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha etc.

  • Coir- ethnic, eco-friendly, hygienic and versatile.

  • Going green is the call of 21st century. Coir, extracted from coconut is the fibre of the future. Thus, continuous efforts have been made to meet the needs of the industry in sustainable manner. The R&D efforts of the Coir Board of India were successful in developing a coir composite that can substitute wood, plywood and MDF boards (medium density fibre-boards). The composites are made out of a combination of two or more materials to achieve superior properties than that of its components. The coir ply can be reinforced with plantation wood like rubber wood veneer, for better properties without destroying natural forests. They are resistant to termite and borer attacks, flame retardant, boiling water resistant, and free from fungal growth. The nail holding properties are better than MDF, because of the long staple fibre and normal carpentry tools are good enough to work with.

    It is commendable to note that the coir ply has been standardized under BIS (IS : 14842-2000) and the technology has been patented and approved for use in the Indian Railways, Defence, CPWD, State Road Transport undertakings, HUDCO, Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporation, State Housing agencies etc.
    It is estimated that 40 cubic meters of coirply can save about 66 acres of forest per annum from deforestation, assuming 100 trees per acre and each tree producing 1.80 cubic meters of wood. This indeed is an alternative to destruction.


    The R&D department of Coir Board works in collaboration with different state boards to undertake innovations related to coir. Crates made out of coir composite board, for equipments like circuit breakers, lids for fiber drums, and collapside reusable containers replacing plywood are some of the very exciting products developed by Coir Board. They are found to be superior in quality compared to plywood, MDF board, etc and are cost effective. Tests and trials carried out with these products have been successful. It is a patented technology now available for commercial production

    Another non-conventional product from the coir industry is the Coir Bhoovastra or coir geo-textiles commonly being used in soil bioengineering applications.

    One of the major ecological threats that the world faces today is soil erosion, particularly of the topsoil. The coir bhoovastra as long term biodegradable geo-textile of soil bioengineering and bioremediation applications has been well acknowledged. The coirgeotextiles are available in woven or nonwoven form as meshes, needled felt, pads, erosion control blankets, antiweed blankets, georolls etc. The permeable fabric is easy to install and follows the contours of the soil surface. It is particularly useful for uneven and rocky terrains. For future developments, it can be used as an overlay for surface cover or as an interlay for separation, filteration and drainage.

    Coir has done remarkable efforts in bringing the non-conventional product range which is coir pith, which is the spongy material that binds the coconut fibre in the husk. It is a by-product separated out of the husk while extracting the fiber. Its capacity to hold moisture eight times its weight makes coir pith an excellent soil conditioner. With the ban on mining of peat that is actually baby coal, the horticulture industry was in search of an alternative material from a renewable resource.
  • Coir pith was found to be a suitable substitute for natural peat. Coir has amazing water-retaining capacity. Thus, the fibre act like mini-sponges, yielding astounding plant growth, which eventually makes it a great product as coir pith. Coir pith collected from coir material, has fibrous material that doesn’t get composted, thus, coir pith products like coir pith growth bag, coir pith bale, coir pith briquettes, coir pith discs, and coco chips are ideal for gardening and horticultural needs. India annually produces about 280,000 metric tons of coir fiber. By weight, coir fibers account for about one-third of the coconut pulp and the other two-thirds is the coir pith.

  • Conclusion- Save nature, use Coir

  • With such a good potential for eco-friendly products from a renewable resource like coir, one would expect things to go smooth in the context of widespread debate on sustainable development. Coir is one of the most versatile fibre extracted from the Mother Nature. Today having multitude of applications, it touches every facet of man’s life and activity, ranging from doormats, mattings, mattresses, tufted products, geotextiles, garden articles and wood substitutes. Thus, due attention is required to be paid to the promotion and development of coir products. Realising its potential, modernisation of the sector through developmental activities has been undertaken by the Central and State/UT Governments.

    While the world is looking for answers to problems of sustainable development the coir industry is offering a win-win solution. What is now needed is a change in our mind-set in favour of accepting an alternative strategy for sustainable development i.e. Eco-development.