Coir Industry Helps Transform Rural Livelihoods Across India
New Delhi — India’s coir industry is emerging as an important source of rural employment and entrepreneurship, particularly for women, while also creating new uses for an abundant agricultural byproduct.
India is the world’s largest producer of coir, accounting for more than 80% of global coir fiber production. Women make up nearly 80% of workers involved in fiber extraction and spinning, according to a factsheet issued by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
The sector supports a wide network of coconut farmers, workers, women artisans, cooperatives, entrepreneurs, manufacturers and exporters across the country’s coconut-growing regions.
Coir, which is made from coconut husk, can be processed into a range of higher-value products including mats, ropes, brushes, household goods, handicrafts, decorative items and eco-friendly packaging.
The Central Coir Research Institute has also developed coir-based rail wheel axle packaging cups as an alternative to HDPE plastic cups, showing how the natural fiber can be adapted for modern industrial applications.
Government support through the Coir Board and the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme is also helping expand self-employment and local business opportunities.
In Kadiyam in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district, Allam Gowthamy turned coconut fiber and coir waste into a small business after receiving specialized training at the Coir Board Training Centre in Dhawaleswaram.
She established Adigo Coir Products in 2024-25 with a project cost of Rs 10 lakh, supported by a Rs 6.50 lakh bank loan and assistance under the employment generation program.
The unit produces eco-friendly doormats, ropes, decorative dolls and handicrafts. According to the factsheet, the business now generates annual revenue of about Rs 35 lakh and a profit of around Rs 10 lakh while employing six women.
Gowthamy has also trained nearly 120 women in coir mat weaving, rope making and handicraft production. Her business has helped inspire about five additional coir units in nearby areas.
In Kerala, P. Surendran established Sampoorna Plus Agro Fertiliser Enterprises in Kozhikode in November 2024, using coir pith to produce an eco-friendly biofertilizer designed to improve soil fertility and moisture retention.
With training and technical support from the Coir Board in Kannur and the Central Coir Research Institute in Kalavoor, the enterprise has built a customer base of more than 500 and sold over 20 tons of biofertilizer.
The unit recorded revenue of Rs 13 lakh and a profit of Rs 4 lakh in fiscal 2024-25. It employs five workers, including two women.
The ministry said such examples show how innovation and technical support can turn coir waste into sustainable businesses while creating jobs and strengthening rural economies. (Source: IANS)
