Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour& EmploymentSushri Shobha Karandlajechaired a Coir Industrial Meet in Pollachi, Coimbatore District on 11July 2025. During the meeting the Minister informed that a world class testing lab and training center will be established in Pollachi for the benefit of coir industry.

 

This Coir industrial meet brought together key stakeholders of Coir sector including representatives of State Governments, Coir manufacturers, exporters, associations entrepreneurs, Jute Industries research association,ICAR and Agricultural Universities, Researchers and Cooperatives to deliberate on the opportunities, challenges, and future roadmap for the Coir sector,both within India and in the global marketplace.

Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, in her address, commended the Coir Board’s dedicated efforts in organizing the Coir Industrial Meet, which serves as a vital platform for meaningful dialogue among stakeholders and for shaping the future of the coir sector. The Minister emphasized the strategic importance of the MSME sector, which serves as the backbone of the Indian economy. She highlighted the immense potential of the MSME sector in driving employment generation and economic growth. With over 6.5 crore enterprises contributing more than 30% to the GDP, 45% to exports, and employing over 28 crore people, the sector plays a vital role in fostering innovation, self-employment, and inclusive development.

 

She emphasized that the coir sector is a key part of the MSME landscape, supporting grassroots entrepreneurship and contributing to the economy with minimal carbon footprint and appreciated the role of the coir sector in providing sustainable livelihoods, especially to women and rural artisans, and its alignment with India’s green and circular economy goals.

During the meet, a focused discussion on “Opportunities and Challenges in the Coir Industry” was held which led to valuable stakeholder inputs on adopting modern technologies, enhancing exports, making the sector globally competitive and improving artisan welfare. During the discussion, stakeholders from across the coir value chain highlighted key challenges faced by the sector, including constraints in enhancing export potential, limited access to capital, the need for quality upgradation, and issues related to competitive pricing in global markets.

In response, the Union Minister of State assured the participants of the Ministry’s full support in addressing these concerns through targeted interventions, policy facilitation, and enhanced collaboration to promote sustainable growth and global competitiveness of the coir sector.The Minister of State emphasized that the Government’s vision is to transform India into a global hub for high-value coir products by expanding market access, strengthening export infrastructure, reskilling/upskilling of the labour force and providing sustained support to exporters. The MoS urged all stakeholdersto work in synergy with the Coir Board to achieve a sustainable and globally competitive coir ecosystem. She also stated that Coir industry Act, 1953 will be amended appropriately for blending of coir fibre with Jute and other natural coir fibers. Further, she mentioned that coir industries will be provided financial assistance under PMEGP with up to 35% subsidy. She assured to extend the full support on GST related concerns on coir fiber and Pith. Also, she encouraged the entrepreneurs to register themselves on UDYAM &GeM portal for availing the benefits from the government schemes.

A technical session was also chaired by the Secretary, Coir Board during the meet, focusing on potential areas of development, sectoral advancements, technological innovations, and collaborative strategies to strengthen the coir industry’s growth trajectory.

After the meet,MoSvisited SFURTIECO Coir ClusterPollachi where she observed the production processes and interacted with artisans to understand the various activities undertaken, sales, and market and credit accessibility, among others. She reiterated the government’s commitment to the growth of the Coir sector, aligning with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 for providing the employment to the youth and strengthening India’s economy.

Shri Vipul Goel, Joint Secretary, Ministry of MSME and Chairman Coir Board and Shri Arun G, Director, Ministry of MSME and Secretary Coir Board and other Coir Board officials were also present in the industrial meet.

 

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AD/SG

(Release ID: 2144017)