India’s FY’13 coir product exports hit record Rs1,116 crore

Export of coir and coir products from the country touched an all-time high of Rs1,116 crore in the 2012-13 financial year, against exports worth Rs1,052.6 crore in the previous financial year – an increase of Rs64 crore or 6 per cent.

Coir export volume grew five per cent to 429,500 tonnes in 2012-13 from 410,854 tonnes in 2011-12, Coir Board chairman G Balachandran said in a press release.

He said the achievements in coir exports have been quite encouraging, especially in the background of economic recession being experienced all over the world, particularly in Europe.

Balachandran attributed the improved performance to innovative products and design initiatives undertaken by the coir industry.

Non-traditional products registered a positive growth of two to 21 per cent while traditional products such as coir yarn, handloom mat, power loom mat, coir rope, rubberised coir, curled coir, coir rugs and carpets, other items showed a negative growth of three to 87 per cent, he said.

Balachandran pointed out that 76 per cent of the total export earnings were from non-traditional products whereas traditional products such as mats, mattings, coir geo-textiles together contributed only 24 per cent of the total export earnings.

Exports of coir fibre, coir matting, coir pith, tufted mat and coir geotextiles grew between 2 and 21 per cent year-on-year, while that of coir yarn, coir rope, curled coir, handloom mats, rubberised coir, powerloom mats, carpets and coir rugs dipped by 3 to 87 per cent year-on-year.

He said Kerala continued to be the leading exporting state for coir and its products with a share of 71,284 tonnes valued at Rs636.84 crore, which is 16.6 per cent in quantity and 57 per cent in value.

Total exports from Tamil Nadu was higher in volume terms at 3,53,533.78 tonnes, comprising coir fibre, coir pith and coir other sorts, although the value was lower at Rs474.92 crore. This accounted for 41.7 per cent of total export value and 82.3 per cent of the export volume.

Contribution from other states put together were 4,682.66 tonnes valued at Rs14.27 crore – equivalent to 1.28 per cent in value and 1.1 per cent in quantity.

India exports coir and coir products to 112 countries, out of which the US has a share of 22.8 per cent in value and 13 per cent in quantity. China continued to be the largest importer of coir fibre, contributing 19.4 per cent in value and 33.8 per cent in quantity.