New Delhi, Aug 17 (KNN) In order to establish a business network in all cities of India, the Coir Board that comes under the purview of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises is looking for distributors and dealers.

Coir, a by-product of coconut is considered an eco-friendly alternative to other synthetic fibres. The name coir has come from the Malayalam word kayar or kayaru, which means cord, to be twisted.

The Coir industry provides employment to nearly 6.75 lakh workers of which 80 per cent are women folk.  Coconut is cultivated in 1.94 million hectares in India with a production of 15,840 million nuts according to the latest figures.  

Coconut cultivation and allied activities provide continuous employment and revenue to more than 10 million people in the country.

Although it is cultivated in 93 countries of the world, India is the largest coconut producing nation in the world. Even though production of coconut is confined to 18 states, its products enjoy consumer demand throughout the country.

Meanwhile, total coir fibre production in the world is 250,000 tonnes. The coir fibre industry is particularly important in some areas of the developing world. The coastal region of Kerala in India produces 60 per cent of the total world supply of white coir fibre.

Sri Lanka produces 36 per cent of the total world brown fibre output. Over 50 per cent of the coir fibre produced annually throughout the world is consumed in India.

Coir fibre is extracted from the fibrous outer cover of the fruit of the coconut palm, with or without retting. The fibre is graded on the basis of nature of extraction, colour, presence of long and short fibres, impurities etc. (KNN/GUNJ)