Coir kathya

coir /: dkF;k/marathi noun

fibre from the outer husk of the coconut, used in potting compost and for making ropes and matting.

CERTIFICATE of ownership To whomsoever it may concern: All the data, primary, secondary and tertiary, is sourced from official , national and international sources unless otherwise indicated . All the information in the report is verified to the best of authors’ ability but does not accept responsibility for any loss arising from decisions based upon them .This report has been prepared for the exclusive academic use of National Institute of Fashion Technology.

All rights reserved . No part of the report may be reproduced , or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the authors.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The completion of this undertaking could not have been possible without the participation and assistance of many people. Their contributions are sincerely appreciated and gratefully acknowledged. Thanks to our Director Prof (Dr.) Pavan Godiawala, our enlightening faculties Mrs. Sushmita Das, Mrs. Sushama Saitwal and our Craft Cluster Co-ordinator Mr. Vinesh Tapre for giving us the opportunity to gain experience and knowledge through this Craft Cluster. We express our thankfulness for our mentor Mr. Somnath Mane for being so supportive and providing guidance throughout the period. We would also like to deliver our special gratitude towards every artisan, supervisor and everyone who had been so informative towards us and made our Craft Cluster successful.

ABSTRACT In a country of over thousands of beautiful crafts, the essence of exploring a full industry of functionality and aesthetics; Coir of Sindhudurg has been studied to its depths in the aspects from its harvest to being turned into a gorgeous artefact. This document covers the two interesting faces of Coir, as an industry and as a future potential craft. It is therefore an entire documentation of experience related to the coir and the story of its craft and other product making, perhaps covering its story as when it began to the future plans related to this industry and how it would aid in its development and awareness in youth and future generations for the further upliftment of coir as a craft.

I

NDEX

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Introduction About Coir Process Sustainability The Craft Present Scenario Miscellaneous The Result

Annexure Appendix

.... 11 .... 21 .... 25 .... 41 .... 47 .... 67 .... 77 .... 87

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

11

Devgad

Oras Malvan Kudal

Sawantwadi Banda

Vengurla

Fig.1 : Sindhudurg Map

13

S

INDHUDURG

Maharashtra, India A Mini Paradise

India is the seventh largest country in the world and is well marked off from rest of Asia by mountains and sea which gives the country a distinct geographical entity. India being highly diverse, rich and versatile, is a homeland to many crafts.

The Indian handicraft is a unique expression which portrays the culture, tradition and heritage. Craft communities use available materials from the surroundings, from hay to precious metals, work with widely differing methods and technology to create a variety of crafts.

In a similar manner, since India has a massive coast line, allowed the coconut crafts being explored. The coconut tree is one of the holiest and the most utilitarian flora in the world. All of the parts of coconut are used, whether it is the leaves or the trunk or the fruit itself. The fibrous husk outside of the coconut is also one of the source of an eccentric craft known as Coir. The exploration in the craft was done to thoroughly study the process and its applications to understand the holistic scenario. The coir craft is practiced in several regions of the country like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Goa and Maharashtra. The state of

Maharashtra has numerous crafts in itself. Being the second most populated and third largest state by area, it is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west and hence has a lot of scope in the development of crafts like Coir. Bordered on the west by the bluish-green waters of the Arabian Sea and on the east by the lush green forests of the Western Ghats, Sindhudurg district in southwest coastal Maharashtra is a veritable tourist delight. It has opulent natural resources and is home for the world famous Alphonso mangoes, Cashew nuts, Coconuts and Kokum. Kudal, the coastal region in Sindhudurg, is a Taluka in the state of Maharashtra, producing coir fibres since 1962. Kudal is the second largest census town, after Sawantwadi in Sindhudurg district. It is built on Karli River in southwest, Maharashtra. It is found 16.9km from district Headquarters Oros, 474km from state capital Mumbai. The local dialect there is Marathi. From 2011 Census evaluation, the population is more than 25,000. Annual temperature varies from 22-40 degree Celsius. The climate is mostly moist and humid.

Kudal gets heavy rainfall of about 1,100mm every year.

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Fig.2 : Vengurla Beach 15

Lifestyle Being the small town it is, the demography of the place seems to have a mixed culture of Hindus and Muslims. Lifestyle is very simple, the people lead a non-nocturnal life. Hence most of the activities are day bound. The shops including vendors start off as early as 6AM and close down by 8PM. People take pride in area which they live in and keep it clean. The citizens are polite and shy. They believe in relatively decent dressing unlike the state capital Mumbai for instance women are mostly seen wearing Sarees, Kurtas and leggings and men are seen wearing buttoned up shirts and pants.

However the working class women of the Coir industry were spotted wearing shirt like blouses over their traditional clothing. Any region of India is specified by the kind of food they have. Similarly in Kudal, people usually eat spicy food. Dishes like bhakri, rajma, thecha, karam dal and vegetables

like brinjal are enjoyed alongside the Maharashtrian staple food that is steamed rice. The most popular food items of the area are Kokum Curry, Shrikhand, Batata vada, Misal Pav, Modak, Pav Bhaji, Poha, Puran poli, Sabudana Khichadi, Sabudana vada. As for non- vegetarians mutton and fish are enjoyed. A few major events of Kudal are Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali and the local festivals of Sindhudurg. There is also an event that takes place in Kudal that is the exquisite ‘Dash Avatar’ inspired skit. There are a number of attractions which lure a large number of people every year from all across the country. Some of the prominent attractions in the town include the Rangana Garh Fort, Shree Devi Laxmi Mandir, Deo Dongar Machhindranath Mandir, Shree Dev Bhairav Temple, The Shree Shani Maruti Mandir, Shree Devi Bhavani Mandir and St. John Bosco Church.

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Fig.3 : Streets of Kudal 17

Fig.4 : Shree Shani Maruti Temple, Malvan

Fig.5 : Citizens of Kudal

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Fig.6 : Kudal Market Scene

Fig.7 : Regular food items

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Chapter 2

ABOUT COIR

21

C

OIR :

Origin and Evolution The Beginning The word coir comes from the Malayalam word ‘Kayar’ which means cord or rope.

Coir is a totally natural, eco-friendly, and exceptionally tensile fibre extracted from the fibrous husk of coconut shell. It is also known as the ‘golden fibre’. Its low decomposition rate is a key advantage for making durable geo-textiles. The use of coconut throughout India makes it a symbol of national unity and is seen in the woven works of coir products. Coir is used to make a wide range of eco-friendly products, decorative wall hangings and upholstery products such as mats, cushions and mattresses.

Coir is known for around 3000 years ago. The use of coir ropes had been previously seen when Indian navigators used them as ship cables while sailing to Malaya, Java, China and to the Gulf of Arabia.

This was even mentioned by the 11th century Arab writers. During the 13th century there was an evidence of coir yarn being used for

ship building in the Persian Gulf.

In accordance to which when Marco Polo discovered the usage of coir, he was impressed and hence he visited India, from where Arabs brought their coir and recorded the process of fibre extraction from coconut husks.

In India the coconut tree is native to the Malabar coast now known as Kerala. It was in 1859 that James Laragh and Henry Smail, two Westerners who had been in Bengal and familiar with the woven products of jute, having heard about the coir yarn came to Alappuzha, Kerala, with two Bengali technicians - Mukherjee and Chatterjee. They were really the pioneers of the various coir products as we know them today. They set up Darrah Smail & Co to produce the innovative products they had developed.

Their success brought many other Europeans into Alappuzha and hence adding to the popularity of coir.

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Fig.8 : Coconut Husks

In India coir making is largely a dissipated industry with households producing miniscule quantity of products. They established in appeal of fibre by retting and then beating coconut for the interior husk. This golden textured Indian coir fibre, which Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Goa are producing, captured the European and World market. From then on, there was the success of Indian coir reign. Big co-operates soon established coir factories in Alleppey, Kollam, Kozhikode, Kochi, and other parts of Kerala.

Coir craft includes a range of eco-friendly products made from coconut fibres to serve a variety of purposes and are also biodegradable. A brand by the Kerala State Coir Corporation Ltd, to promote the use of coir and to keep the traditional handicraft from succumbing to the “plastic revolution� sweeping the globe, is today world-renowned for the quality as well as for cradling a traditional art form for over three decades till the world finally woke up to the hazards of using synthetic substitutes like carbon fibres, glass fibres etc.

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Chapter 3

PROCESS

25

S

TRUCTURE of Coir

Coir Composition Coir is a versatile natural fibre extracted from mesocarp tissue, or husk of the coconut fruit. It is the fibrous husk of the coconut shell and is obtained from the outer layer of the fruit of coconut tree (Cocos Nucifera L). This outer layer is called the coconut husk and this husk (exocarp) of the coconut consists of a smooth waterproof outer skin (epicarp) and fibrous zone (mesocarp). The mesocarp comprises of strands of fibro-vascular bundles of coir embedded in a non-fibrous paranchymatous “corky� connective tissue usually referred to as pith; which ultimately becomes coir dust.

The individual fibre cells of coir are narrow and hollow, with thick walls made of cellulose. They are pale when immature but later become hardened and yellower as a layer of lignin, is deposited on their walls.

Mature brown coir fibres contain more lignin and less cellulose than fibres such as flax and cotton and

so are stronger but less flexible.

They are made up of small threads, each less than 0.05 inch (1.3 mm) long and 10 to 20 micrometres in diameter. White fibre is smoother and finer, but also weaker. The coir fibre is relatively waterproof and is the only natural fibre resistant to damage by salt water.

TYPES When coconut fiber is extracted from matured coconuts. They are naturally brown in color having a strong and thick nature and good abrasion resistance. This fiber is called Brown fiber.

When coconut fiber is extracted from immature coconuts, they are naturally white in color having smooth and fine soft touch properties and it is also weaker than the brown fiber. This fiber is called White fiber.

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Fig.9 : Structure of Coir

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Screener

Sourcing of raw Sourcing of raw materials materials

Retting

Coconut Husks

Crushing

Crushing

Bittering

Retting

Retting

Retting

Screener

Bittering

Screening

Screening

Coconut Husks

Beater Crusher

Beater

Crusher

Coir Pith Compressed into blocks

Fig.10 : Coir Processing

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Coir Pith Compressed into blocks

Coir Pith

Coir Pith

Slivering machine

Slivering machine

Willowing machine

Willowing machine

2ply yarn machine 2ply yarn machine Rope

Bale

Bale

Spinning

Spinning

Spinning

Spinning

Rope

Rope

Weaved mats

Bailing

Unwanted fibers and Unwanted fibers and impurities are usedimpurities as are usedCharkha as stuffing material instuffing toys material in toys and idols and idols Bailing

Charkha

Mattresses Curled coir yarn

Curled coir yarn

Decorative Items Decorative Items

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Mattresses

Rope

Weaved mats

M

AKING :

Coir Ropes

A look into the industrial process Making of the coir ropes is a tedious job. From the growth of the crop to the harvest of the fruit from the tens of feets from the ground to the retting for months to the hectic slivering of the ropes to the strong long ropes. Coir industry has a lot of processes and each of its product go through a lengthy treatment in order to become the way it is showcased.

The entire coir has two faces to it.

One is the industrial part where all the material is mechanically, semimechanically and manually processed through various stages and

second, where the handicraft part takes place. The industrial process is however more popular considering the Maharashtrian market.

Wherein, the places like Kerala and Odisha, the aesthetic demands of the coir products is more, making the toys and other decorative items popular.

Handicraft in coir in the Sindhudurg district is relatively less and hence isnt active to get documented. The processes like, dyeing of the fibers or ropes or making of the actual decorative items aren’t prominent.

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COCONUT PLANTATION The coconut plantation is absolutely natural. There is less maintenance for its growth as the entire area is at the bay of the sea. We can find the coconut plantations on every other stop in Sindhudurg District which includes Kudal, Vengurla and Malvan.

Fig.11 : Local Coconut Plantation

SOURCING OF RAW MATERIAL Coconut supply chain in the coir industry is mostly done from the local areas around the factory. On courtesy its also done from Goa. In the Kudal firm the suppliers are from Banda, who supply 9000 husks of good quality in one truck, twice a week.

Suppliers : Pravalkar Gagaram Mahajan

Fig.12 : Raw material supply

INITIAL RETTING It is the process of soaking of coconut husks with the help of sea water or fresh water for softening the hard shells and therefore, it is easy to remove the coir fibres afterwards. Retting takes about one to two months. These days, activated enzymes are put so as to accelerate the process.

Fig.13 : Initial retting

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CRUSHING Right after retting, the husks are dried in the sun and are manually put in a crushing machine for segregation of parts of the husks. Hence it aids the further separation of fibres from its strong body.

Manually, this process was called beating as it required vigorous manipulation of the material.

Fig.14 : Crushing of husk

BITTERING Bittering is the process of removal of pith from the coir fibres. The bittering machine is essentially a cleaning aparatus in which pure fibres are left behind and undesirable ones are removed. This gives the most essential by-product of coir that is, Coco Pith.

Fig.15 : Bittering Process

SCREENING It is the proper production of fibres. This process is conducted with mesh of different sizes for obtaining different lengths of the fibres. For instance short fibres and long fibres, which affect the characteristic of the rope.

Fig.16 : Screening of fibres

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RETTING The process of retting is repeated after the fibre is entirely segregated from the body. It is done in normal water under the sun. The fibres are submerged into a shallow pool of water. This process is two to three days long.

Fig.17 : Retting of Fibres

CLEANING This process is done with the help of fresh water, removing all excess dirts, enzymes and the impurities.

This process is either done manually or they are put in water for the same. They are then sun dried and are ready for rope making.

Fig.18 : Manual cleaning of fibres

BAILING It is the process of bundle making of the coir fibres.

These are made of different weight categories that are 26, 30, 35 kilograms. About 20 bundles per day are made and tied. They are a way to store the coir fibres with more convenience. These bundles are sold to the locals at 25-30 rupees per bundle.

Fig.19 : Fibre bundles

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COCO PITH It is a by-product isolated from the coir fibres. It is a revolutionary material and it is used in making a lot of utility, agriculture and horticulture products such as decorative items, soil fertilizing agents, water absorbants for gardening and farming purposes.

Fig.20 : Coco pith

COCO PITH BLOCKS These are mainly made for storage purposes. These are made with the help of Coco pith block making machine which are of dimensions 1x1 ft.

Fig.21 : Coco pith blocks

CURLED COIR ROPES These are loosely packed ropes which are made from the isolated coir fibres. It is used for the making of mattresses and carpets. They are uncurled for creating a spring like effect for maintaining the fluidity of the upholsteries. Latex is mixed with it to improve its properties. The fibres used for this product are a mix of heavier and lighter fibres.

Fig.22 : Curling of coir ropes 34

WILLOWING It is the process of combing and cleaning of fibres.

Traditionally, it was done with the help of a willow which allowed the lighter fibres to fly away and the heavier ones to settle. But with the help of machinery the process is made easier and faster.

Fig.23 : Willowing process

WILLOW WASTE Since the segregation of heavier and lighter fibres is done, different uses of each are seen. The lighter ones go for the making of the 2-ply ropes and the waste heavier fibres are kept in sun, hence they get tanned and later are sold and used as fillers for idol making.

Fig.24 : Coir waste : fillers

SLIVERING The lighter fibres ae used in this process of slivering which is twisting of the fibres to create tension and provide tensile strength. The basic shape of a rope is formed here. Thickness of the rope is dependent on this process.

Fig.25 : Slivering process 35

2-PLY ROPE MAKING (MECHANICAL) Spinning of the slivered fibres, ultimately producing solid ropes. This process might be mechanized or manual. In the machine nylon fibres and coir fibres are blended together and twisted for the final product.

In one hour the production is about 600-700 ft. of rope which weigh around 1-2 kilograms depending on the thickness. 60 kilograms of rope is produced in about 8 hours.

Fig.26 : Mechanical spinning of 2 ply rope

SEMI MECHANIZED SPINNING The 2-ply rope is made either in machines or manually depending upon the availability of electricity.

The slivering process may not be necessary for this process as it directly spins the fibres to make the ropes. It is a minimum of 3 person job where one spins the Charkha and the other 2 twist and blend the fibres from adjacent sides and add on length to the rope. In about 3 minutes 50 ft. of rope is made, depending upon the skill of the worker.

Fig.27 : Charkha : Manual spinning

COIR ROPES These are the final product of the entire coir processing. These are of various lengths and girths depending upon the demand of the clients. They are otherwise sold for personal usage, industrial usage such as boat making and handicrafts such as mats.

Fig.28 : Coir ropes

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PRESSING The ropes are pressed and flattened against a coir pressing frame to make it suitable for mat making.

This process requires two persons.

Fig.29 : Pressing of coir ropes

WEAVING The process of weaving contains ropes that are raw or pigmented for aesthetics. This process for making one mat takes about 30 minutes and about 6 mats are made in a day. In this process the ropes are interlaced and made into panels.

Fig.30 : Weaving of coir ropes

COIR MATS The final product of mats are of varoius sizes. Their standard dimensions are 18x12 inches. Each mat is sold for Rs. 90 in the local markets. These are also exported to different cities according to demands.

Fig.31 : Coir mats

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Fig.32 : Mahila Kathya Kamgar Audyogik Co-op Society Ltd., Vengurla

MAHILA KATHYA KAMGAR AUDYOGIK Co-op Society Ltd., Vengurla, Sindhudurg Managing Director : Pradnya Prabeen Purab Area : 16 acres Total Workers : 22 No. of Machines : 12 Working Hours : 9am-5pm

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Fig.33 : MSSIDC Kathya Udyog, Kudal

KUDAL KATHYA UDYOG Kudal, Sindhudurg Supervisor : Ajinke Atmaram Dalvi Area : 3 acres Total Workers : 22 No. of Machines : 8 Working Hours : 9am-6pm

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Chapter 4

SUSTAINABILITY

41

K

ALPAVRIKSHA

The Holy Tree For a better future

As said by our ancestors in India, coconut is considered the holy tree of life, that is the, ‘kalpavriksha’.

It is one of those gifts of nature that is consumed thoroughly with a minimum of limitations with its use. With technology and new generational advancements, the limitations of any sort of by-products is nil now.

Coir industry, then again, has some loop holes to it because of the processes such as dying, water wastage and coco-pith as a water pollutant and the lack of awareness and promotion in the market itself. Perhaps, the missing link between generations has created lack of knowledge and threat to the skills of the same has taken place.

However, on further research, the results seem fairly contradictory as the efforts in saving and promoting the craft are equally distributed and are continuing to do so.

Sustenance of handmade coir technique- Nothing beats the manual labour that is put into making a handicraft item. Hand-made coir technique is mostly being replaced by introduction of semi-automated or fully-automated machines for the production of finished material like coir rope and bales.

Hand-made process: In hand made process, retting process of coir takes about 6 months of soaking of the raw material. Soaking requires changing of water in the tank in every 15-20 days, then beating of the coir with hand to separate fibres, followed by separating coco-pith from fibres, cleaning, combing and finally twisting of the rope.

Safety hazards- When coconut goes through machines in semi or fully automated process, a lot of coir which is a powder, flies in the air going into eyes and respiratory system. It can lead to serious health issues like breathing problems or infection in eyes. We found that nobody was wearing masks or sunglasses to protect themselves from it. This in future will not lead to healthy working condition and efficiency will be hampered.

Machine-made process- Machines on the other hand take about one month in the same process of retting. Buster machine presses and breaks the coir into fibres which then requires very less soaking time. It fastens up the production process and more finished material is available on time for the industry.

It also saves huge amounts of man-

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ual labour which otherwise would have been wasted in the entire process explained above. Though machines can only produce ropes and weaved ropes, rest of the products like broomstick, foot-mats, keychains, bags, etc. still require hand effort.

Here in this case, to sustain the industry of coir and its craft, machinery is better in terms of saving time, efficiency, production quantity to make the ropes. Though, hand-made efforts are still required to develop weaved ropes into a final product. It will help keeping the legacy of the craft as handmade and sustain both the industries independently complimenting each other.

Procurement of raw materialAbout 80% of coconut cultivated is wasted as people in Kudal still have no widespread awareness as to the uses of coir. They burn it as fuel for cooking. They were unaware about the craft aspect of coconut as coir. Inspite of little awareness programs, a major portion isn’t familiar about coir purposes.

coco-pith, hence the water is not actually polluted or on the contrary, wasted. In mechanized process, retting happens by sprinklers as the shredded material doesn’t require months of soaking. Though in this aspect more research is required as to how much water is wasted in evaporation as sprinkling happens in the open area.

Retting with enzymes in the new fully automated MSSIDC (Maharashtra Small Scale Industries Development Corporations). factory for coir, retting is done through sprinkling water mixed with enzymes on coconut piles.

These enzymes activate and boosts the retting process and fibre is obtained within a fortnight. Though as there are enzymes mixed, it causes land pollution and will further lead to pollution of ground water when it leeches into the ground in monsoons. These enzymes aren’t healthy at all and might hamper the quality of the coir as well. More technical research is required in this direction.

Artificial dyes- Used in the last stage when coir rope is ready, it is dyed with artificial colours which are further used in making of mats etc. Coir can also be coloured with natural dyes as its properties allow it. But still artificial dyes are used which allows the entry of a toxic element in the life cycle of Coir.

Re-use of Water- In traditional retting method, the coconut is soaked in fresh/salt water for at least six months to obtain coir fibres. As retting is done in the open, water is added at intervals as it gets evaporated with the intense heat. The water that they use in retting process is used in landscaping and acts as a fertilizer as it contains some

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C

OCO-PITH

The By-Product Revolutionary Waste

Coir pith is the corky material found between the fibres in the husk of a coconut. Once harvested the whole coconut is separated into kernel and husk, where the kernel is used either as food or processed further into food products or oil.

The coconut shell itself is also an economically important commodity when converted to carbon and activated carbon for use in water and air filtration systems. The husk goes to fibre mills where the coir fibre is extracted. The by-product of this process is coir pith.

For many years coir pith was considered as a waste product of the extraction process and was dumped outside of coir fibre mills, generating large environmental pollution issues of its own. It is only over the last 20 years or so that the coir pith, has been utilized. In the early years the coir pith was generally of a variable quality and unfit for use by the horticultural sector. Today with an economic value almost equal to fibre for high quality pith that has all changed.

Coco-pith can retain a high amount of water in it. Therefore, as its organic, it is used with soil as a water absorbent and fertilizer in indoor gardening, terrace gardens

and lawns for the niche market.

It reduces water evaporation and consumption and makes gardening possible even in the toughest circumstances. Once watered, soil mixed with coco-pith doesn’t require water till a week as coco-pith absorbs the water and retains it.

The roots of the plants then soak water from coco-pith. This saves water and helps plants grow healthier by providing them with water throughout. It is sold at Rs.3/Kg to nurseries. In Rajasthan, as there is no soil, lawns in hotels are made of coco-pith to sustain life. Another brilliant use of coco-pith is done in Kerala industry by making bricks out of it. They are made through hydraulic pressure and are sold for Rs.600/15kg. This helps a great deal in designing green building where alternative material is required for construction. None of the coco-pith is wasted and its refined and packed in bags and sent to the industry for similar purposes.

Sri Lanka is the leading processor and exporter of coir pith into a form suitable for horticultural applications and India has the potential to become the major source of this valuable organic resource for

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Fig.34 : Coco Pith

internal use and for exports.

Coir pith is a recalcitrant agro-residue containing high amount of lignin and cellulose resisting decomposition by microorganisms under natural conditions. The recalcitrant nature of coir pith is due to the presence of lignin. It contains 8-12% soluble tannin like phenolics. Coir pith has high water holding capacity of 8 times of its weight. It has fixed carbon, low sulphur, fats and ash. Nutrient content of coir pith varies with place, method of retting, rate of decomposition and storage method. The major properties of coir pith are: High water holding capacity, i.e.,

6-8 times than its weight. Excellent moisture retention even after drying. Slow degradation due to high lignocellulosic bonding. High porosity, stores and releases nutrients over extended periods of time.

Greater physical resiliency that withstands compression better. Excellent aeration / oxygenation providing enhanced root penetration.

Acceptable Electrical Conductivity (EC), pH and Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC). 100% degradable, organic and a renewable resource.

Contains natural substances beneficial for plant growth.

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Chapter 5

THE CRAFT

47

A

RTISANS

and Creators Emergence

Process : The fibre is sorted and separated in thick bunches.

Bunches of coir are manipulated into required shapes.

A sturdy thread is used to knot and consolidate the forms.

The body parts are crafted individually.

Body parts are assembled using threads.

Thread is widened repeatedly to make the toy firm.

The proportion is maintained in all the forms for a realistic depiction.

The whole body is assembled by attaching individual pieces together.

The toy is dipped in starch for stiffness and durability.

Coloured woolen threads are used for surface ornamentation and decoration purpose.

Coir is yet to be an emerging craft in Maharashtra. On studying the industrial aspect of it, there is a general conclusion to see that there is not much going in association with crafts in coir. Upon digging deeper, the employees at the coir factories, who are mostly women revealed that, since they are home-ridden, they like to make certain ‘crafty’ products such as fruits, home decorations items like, animals, in their free time. Sometimes they like to commercialise them and sometimes they refuse to do for their own ethical reasons.

This is also one of the reasons why coir, as a craft hasn’t been able to grow outside of the homes of these women.

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A Malvan Magician NARESH KALMETHAR

From the research conducted, there however are not many craftsmen passionately involved in the craft at Kudal, Sindhudurg. But there are a few artisans like Mr. Naresh Kalmethar, who wants to put forward this craft with a really good face to the world. More so we can find a lot of workers that are involved with the industrial coir more than the artistic aspect of it.

Coir is a big source of employment and women empowerment in India and that is why not many people are interested in it as a ‘craft’ or something creative. Wherein we get to know most of the people involved in are just for the sake of feeding their family. Many women who are participating actually do not care for what they do but only care for what they get in return.

In recent years however there has been a slight upliftment with the help of Coir Board and artisans like Naresh for conduction of workshops, lectures, exhibitions and fairs that create awareness and a sense of tradition and culture that comes with the Coir craft.

Living in a small unit of Malvan, the craftsman has drastically brought into picture, the aesthetics that come with this craft. From making sea shell products to coconut to the very versatile coir. He has developed a unique style of creating artefacts. He is one of the first artisans to have made jewellery and other accessories for women in Maharashtra.

His interest was initially into being a fisherman but when he visited Kerala he immediately gravitated towards the development of coir in Malvan which he found to have similar geographical conditions of Kerala. It was not worth wasting a precious material like the coconut husk which in turn can develop into something wonderful. He was financially unstable and hence got aid from his friends to get training in coconut craft. He learnt husk and Karwanti (coconut shell) in Trivandrum Centre, Kerala and Kathya (coir) from Puri, Odisha.

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Fig.35 : Naresh Kalmethar, Coir Craftsman 51

According to him people often do not lead forward in this craft because they are unaware of the tactics of marketing. And they are very paranoid about the future of this craft. Since Kudal is a tourist place, 5-6lakhs visitors are recorded per year which gives a good scope for coir and the need of marketing might not be required that is the reason they are settled in one place. Naresh himself conducts workshops which are about 3 months long in duration and are continued throughout the year.

The workshops are not charged and are aided by the Government.

In the beginning the craft started off as his hobby but eventually became his career. He takes inspiration from all around the place and nature. He has visited almost all coastal region and has adopted many interesting things from there.

Fig.36 : Naresh’s family 52

He feels that the emergence of Social media and internet has really helped him learn new things and be more creative with his designs.

However he does not promote his products because he feels there is no need of it, since all the publicity that he gets is a direct, face to face communication. He really wishes his children to pursue the craft and develop their interest in it.

He deeply believes that his business shall be much larger in the near future and he will establish a proper platform for this craft. Although he really wishes for the youth to know more about this craft and hence try entrepreneurship regarding the same.

He had a remarkable growth over years and now that he looks back on the kind of products he had made, he realises that they are one of a kind.

Fig.37 : Elephant Figurine made of coir by Naresh

His past experience in diesel mechanics helped him in the technical aspect of the craft and allowed him to explore more tools he got from Mumbai. But now he prefers making his own tools for cheap and save money which is his primary task. He also sources the dyes he uses for colouring the fibres from Mumbai. They are mostly pigmented and powdered which then are liquefied according to the intensity of the colour required. He sources his coconut fibres from the local area around Malvan, Kudal etc. He has his own shop around the area and has a good demand and supply chain of it.

He has a very optimistic approach towards his lifestyle and career. He likes to deal with his problems on his own. Even though the craft is not popular, the only demand he has from the Government is to

create awareness among the teenagers and the youth so that they can divert towards this industry and look into the business and creative aspect of it keeping the hold of the traditions and keeping the culture intact.

In the future he is fully planned to have a Museum or Art Gallery for visitors. In it, nine rooms, projectors for visitors focused on shells, coconut and coir products. Visitors can learn, buy, suggest, and make what they see there. In addition to product display the Gallery will also have photographs, books and PowerPoint presentations related to the craft in order to increase awareness amongst them. He has taken a loan for its further development. He also plans for website development, CDs, etc. for his working space. For better access the entry shall be free.

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P

RODUCTS

And Other Uses

Products made in Maharashtra and across 1. Coir Ropes

stencilled designs and bevelled patterns for use in interior or exterior door fronts.

Coir rope-making is a common cottage industry in India. The Coconut fibre is attached to hooks on a wheel that is turned by hand.

This twists the coir while more is added. It forms a strong rope that doesn’t unwind or break. Among the natural fibre, coir has some unique characteristic particularly its rigidity, durability and friction. The number of strands required for a rope is determined by the diameter of the strand and the fineness of the yarn used. Therefore by varying the number of yarns in the strand and the number of the strands, rope of any size can be made.

3. Coir Matting Coir Matting is mainly used as a material for floor furnishing. It is seen used in exhibitions and fairs as a temporary but a neat floor covering. Because of its sound absorbing characteristics, it is highly used for furnishing stairs, corridors, and auditorium and cinema halls. A wide range of attractive designs and colours as well as quality makes it a desirable item for interior decorators.

4. Coir Jewellery

2. Coir Mats

Coir accessories is a genius innovation by Naresh. In it, he had successfully captured the aesthetic and function of a jewel and accessory.

From earrings to hair clips, the designs are simple and unique making the products capture the character or loose coir fibres very well mixing into the organic nature of human kind.

Coir Mats are made on handlooms, power looms or frames after compressing the spinned coir yarns on a pressing machine to make it more flat. It is available in a range of colours, sizes and designs according to the requirement. The brushing qualities of coir doormats and their ability to keep the dirt away make the product a unique one.

Mats are available in plain, natural and bleached forms with woven or

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Fig.38 : Coir Ropes

Fig.39 : Door Mats

Fig.40 : Earring Design

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Fig.41 : Earring and Clutcher Design

Fig.42 : Earrings

Fig.43 : Decorative Items

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5. Coir Decorative Items

attractive designs are specially produced for overseas markets.

The local artists collect the fine and the rough coir from the local coastal areas for the craft. Occasionally, the coir fibres are dyed to create attractive products which are appealing to the customers and are more aesthetic. Design process is perhaps all imagination of the artists and the skill of the artisans which is responsible for making such brilliant innovative things.

9. Coir Mourzouk Morzouk: carpet Coir Mourzouks are usually manufactured in a variety of sizes and patterns. They are mostly used for furnishing a selected area most likely the centre of the room.

10. Coir Belts

6. Coir Tiles

Coir belts are mainly used for driving machines and as conveyer belts.

Mattings are cut, rubberised and finished with narrow straight edges, enabling it to be laid together to form tiles. Coir tiles have inherent strength for durability as it is made out of the strong fibres of coconut husks. Strong and eco-friendly coir Tiles come in innovative designs so that it can make the floors look better.

11. Coir Mattings for Roof Surface Cooling Cooling of buildings by Roof Surface Evaporation is an established technology. It is an effective, simple, economical and environment friendly method of improving the indoor thermal conditions and reducing the capital and running cost of air-conditioning under hot-Dry conditions.

7. Coir Mattings for Cricket Pitches

12. Acoustic Barriers

The coir mattings for cricket pitches are special. It may be provided with canvas or leather bindings at the 2 ends. It is used to cover the pitch to protect it from the adverse effects of rain, moisture, storm and other natural factors. It is durable and low maintenance.

Coir is being used as a noise prevention solution in homes located along highways and other high-traffic roads, in offices and around sporting arenas. This is also used for making stylish compound walls and garden landscaping.

8. Coir Rugs

13. Coir Geotextiles

Coir Mattings cut to specified length, and suitably finished are marketed as ‘Coir Rugs’. Coir rugs are available in plain natural colour of the fibre, or in different shades, in woven patterns or printed designs. Rugs of various sizes with

Coir geotextile is a permeable textile fabric in geotechnical engineering to prevent the soil from migrating while maintaining the water flow. Its role is to protect and promote vegetarian cover during

57

its formative period after which it degrades over a period of time and mixes with the soil providing for valuable nutrients.

in spherical, cylindrical or ring shapes. Fenders are made in the required shape from coir yarn, rope, or fibres, tightly tied together. Coir rope is knotted to form the outer shell by traditional knotting technique. These fenders are available in different diameters.

14. Coir fibre beds (Coco beds) Coco beds are made from coir fibre and coir geo textiles. Coir fibre is put between two coir geo textiles and stitched together to form a bed or pouch. Steep stream banks can be covered with pre planted Coco beds. Sediments will be collected and held in Coco beds, which will help plant growth and purify water to a certain extent. They are anticipated in the Kudal Coir Industry soon.

Coir Based Products for Agriculture 1. Plant Climbers or Coco poles (Gardening Coir Grow Stick) Coco poles are made by wrapping coir twin around PVC pipes. Coco poles give ideal support to plants while creating a perfect moist environment for its roots. It’s ideal for creepers like ornamental plants & even vegetables.

15. Coir Composite Boards Coir composites Panels can be made using coir as reinforcing material with or without plantation timber (veneers like rubber, bamboo, jute, glass) in between as a secondary reinforcement and then infused with polymeric matrix material like phenolic, polyester, epoxy, etc., and then processed under controlled temperature and pressure. Coir fibre composites has several advantages such as light weight, unbreakable, non-corrosive, water resistant, durable and affordable. Coir composites are highly suitable for building and construction for door, window panelling, furniture and other joinery work and transportation application for cost-effective replacement to wood and timber.

2. Coir Baskets Coir hanging baskets are made from coir fibre blended with natural rubber. Coir pots are 100% biodegradable used for the domestic gardening. Coir hanging baskets are used for internal gardening and acts as decorative materials to the buildings. Less weight and organic properties of coir makes them viable for internal gardening. Plants grow faster and healthily in coir baskets.

3. Coco Pots (Moulded Coir Pots) The moulded coir fibre pots are usually used as nursery bag for the seedlings, which can be directly planted without removing the ‘nursery bag’. Coir fibre and natural rubber latex are used for the

16. Coir Fenders Coir fenders are commonly made

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Fig.44 : Baskets

Fig.45 : Pots

Fig.46 : Hand Bag

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Fig.47 : Coco Pith Blocks

Fig.48 : Coco Pith Product

Fig.49 : Fruits made of Coco Pith

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manufacture of coco pots; hence it is 100 % natural, biodegradable and eco-friendly product.

It is made from 2 to 6 mm thick rubberized coir sheet and used for protecting the plant from evaporation. The fibre disc is also used as weed cover around the bottom of plant preventing direct sunlight thus avoids the growth of weed under the disc.

undergoes processing and is widely recognized as a superior growing medium for tomatoes, roses and many other crops. The Horticulture industry often calls this coco media as coco peat or coir peat. It is also used in making sculptures these days. It is indeed a very creative and versatile medium for the craft itself. Toys and decorative items are being made with it and they give out a very beautiful finish in the end. They are lightweight and biodegradable making the environment friendly

5. Coco Chips (Husk Chips)

7. Coir Pith as Briquettes

4. Coir Fibre Discs (Tree Cover)

The small fibre bits, which are a waste during the sieving of coir pith, can be mixed into pot plant media in horti-flori nurseries. All these materials find numerous applications in gardens and add a warm hue to the surroundings.

The coir pith is comprised into vary small pack, shrink and wrapped which is most suitable to the hobby market and home garden owners.

6. Coco Peat Coco peat is a by-product from coir deferring units. This coco peat

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W

OMEN OMEN

Empowerment

Upliftment of Society Coir is the one industry in india which is defined by women. Although you see a settling ratio of more woman in the handicraft section of the whole process. In the Vengurla Unit of coir, Katthya Kamgaar Adhyog corporation society Ltd. has specially helped in the development of woman in this industry by not only providing labour, but also constant support by going door-to-door and providing them machinery for appropriate working for coir and hence, feeding their families and letting the women feel empowered by getting to make their contribution in the society by financial means. Wherein, this became the major source employment, it also guided some of the ladies explore their creativity outside kitchens. From being able to operate heavy machineries, to making beautiful accessories and

decorative items such as torans in their free time, women from rural areas such as Vengurla have come to know their skills and abilities to contribute to handicraft.

Providing job security and new opportunities have given a good platform for the women to have their extra growth along with inspiring threads of others to join back and form communities as working woman. In India, the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) is implementing the promotional schemes for the development of micro, small and medium enterprises. The schemes and programmes generally focus on capacity building in states and regions, nevertheless, there are a few schemes and programmes, which are individual beneficiary-oriented.

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Fig.50 : Female Workers, Coir Factory, Vengurla

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C

ONTACTS

and Details

P G TODKAR Coir Board In Charge +91 7738548892

Coir Board Sub-Regional Office Room No. 207 A-Block 1st Floor District Administrative Complex Sindhudurgnagari Navanagar Oras, Sindhudurg - 416812 AJINKE ATMARAM DALVI Factory Supervisor +91 8149127089

MIDC- Near Gaondev, Kudal- Vengurla Road Kudal Dist.

Sindhudurg- 416520

M K GAWDE Advisor +91 9422381874

Mahila Kathya Kamgar Audyogik Co-op Society Ltd. Wadkhol RoadCamp Vengurla Dist. Sindhudurg- 416516

64

YASHWANT KUDAPKAR Factory Worker +91 9420823112

Mahila Kathya Kamgar Audyogik Co-op Society Ltd. Wadkhol RoadCamp Vengurla Dist. Sindhudurg- 416516

NARESH KALMETHAR Artisan +91 9423833511

Marwade Bagh Gawandi Wada Malvan Dist. Sindhudurg- 416606

RAJESH KAMBLE

S S PATIL

Coir Project Manager +91 9403078768

MIDC- Near Gaondev, Kudal- Vengurla Road Kudal Dist. Sindhudurg- 416520

MSSIDC Office In charge +91 9967781884

ASHWINI PATIL

PRADNYA PRADEEP PURAB

Cluster Development Officer +91 9765878945

Mahila Kathya Kamgar Audyogik Co-op Society Ltd. Wadkhol RoadCamp Vengurla Dist. Sindhudurg- 416516

Managing Director +91 9422064682

Mahila Kathya Kamgar Audyogik Co-op Society Ltd. Wadkhol RoadCamp Vengurla Dist. Sindhudurg- 416516

ARWIND GAIKWAD

AMBDOSKAR

Coir Board Employee 023-62228092

Factory Worker +91 9421011862

MIDC- Near Gaondev, Kudal- Vengurla Road Kudal Dist.

Sindhudurg-416520

MSSIDC Ltd. A-Block 2nd Floor, Near Administrative Building Oras, Dist-Sindhudurg- 416812

Coir Board Sub-Regional Office Room No. 207 ,A-Block 1st Floor District Administrative Complex Oras, Sindhudurg- 416812 65

Chapter 6

PRESENT SCENARIO

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G

OVERNMENT :

Support System Cluster Initiatives

In a country of more than a million traditional manufacturing units, the art of coir making stands apart, producing handlooms, handicrafts and other coir products across the country. Due to reasons like availability of skilled manpower, raw materials etc, these enterprises are concentrated in clusters across the country. These clusters are playing an important role in providing employment opportunities in rural areas as the products are exported even to global markets due to their uniqueness.

Cluster approach has become one of the important tools for micro enterprise development in the country for the unorganized sectors such as coir itself. The Cluster strategy is expected to help the micro enterprises to enhance their productivity and develop new innovative products through cooperative mode. In fact, development of clusters as a tool for increasing production, triggering economic growth, alleviating poverty and removing regional economic imbalances is gaining momentum in both the developed and developing countries.

The Government of India through various Ministries is implementing cluster based development Schemes, programs and initiatives which includes Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI), MAHILA COIR YOJANA SCHEME (MCYS), MSIDC and Coir Board for the further upliftment of Coir as a craft.

COIR BOARD Coir Board is a judicial body established by the Government of India under a legislation enacted by the Parliament namely Coir Industry Act 1953, for the promotion and development of Coir Industry as well as export market of coir and coir products in India as a whole.

Development of skilled manpower in coir industry through appropriate training programmes is one of the major activities of the Coir Board. Coir Board provides reliable support for Promoting exports of coir yarn and coir products and carrying on propaganda for that purpose. Regulating under the supervision of the Central Government,

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Coir Board functions by taking appropriate steps for the production of husks, coir yarn and coir products by registering coir spindles and looms for manufacturing coir products as also manufacturers of coir products and licensing exporters of coir yarn and products. Coir Board assists in the setting up of factories for the producers of coir products with the aid of power. It also helps in Promoting cooperative organization among producers of husks, coir fibre and coir yarn and manufacturers of coir products; ensuring beneficial returns.

come India’s leading corporation, continuously responding to the expanding and diversified needs of Small Scale Industries. It is increasingly assisting rural industries and providing support services like consultancy, counselling, marketing, training, import-exports, entrepreneurship and development programs.

Coir, being a natural fiber that is environment friendly in the strictest sense of the term, is now seen as the fiber of the future. The eco -friendly quality of coir will help it to hold its ground even as it battles competition from synthetic fiber. Coconut husk is the raw material for coir industry which is considered a cottage Industry on its spinning side and on manufacturing side of finished goods; it is partly cottage and partly industry.

Sindhudurg has the area of 16609 Hectares under coconut plantation i.e. 51.64 per cent of the area under coconut plantation in Konkan Region. MSSIDC is opening the doors of opportunity in Sindhudurg as to initialing 12 units of coir houses. Of which 5 have already started its built-up. This

MSSIDC Maharashtra Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Limited (MSSIDC), was established by the Government of Maharashtra, in 1962. It was initially anticipated as an agency to supply raw materials and to extend marketing assistance to small scale units. The Corporation was set up with a view to give a new strength and orientation to the development of the Small-scale Sector in Maharashtra. However, over the years, MSSIDC has be-

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would give people and the industry the chance to be popularized in the terms of communication and manufacturing. Hence, rising the economy and net worth of the same.

The MSSIDC has already acquired a land measuring area of 12090 sq. mtr in Kudal Industrial area for this purpose on lease for 95 years from MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation).

The Training and demonstration cum production center is the first uniquely planned concept in the state to promote employment generation for rural masses. The raw material is freely available throughout the district. And hence the entrepreneurs will get full scope for long term production opportunity to initiate, maintain and organize a profit oriented micro units in their work place or industrial area.

exercise, based on which assistance is provided for infrastructure development, skill development, technology upgradation of the enterprises, marketing, product development and setting up of common facility centers, etc.

MAHILA COIR YOJANA SCHEME The Coir Industry has been a labour intensive and export oriented industry employing more than seven lakh workers predominantly women. Without ample training of spinners, weavers and artisans engaged in value added product manufacturing have been posing problems. Skill development is, therefore, an essential pre-requisite for the overall development of the industry and to accelerate the spread of the industry into non-traditional areas. 80% of the workers employed in coir industry are women, particularly in the pre-product sectors. Mahila Coir Yojana (MCY) is the first women oriented self-employment scheme implemented by the Coir Board since 1994. The scheme anticipates provision of subsidy of 75% of the cost for purchase of machineries to the trained women artisans.

SFURTI SFURTI (Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries) is a Governmental Scheme launched in the year 2005, initiated for the regeneration and better productivity of small scale industries. The SFURTI Scheme takes a holistic approach for cluster development and includes an initial diagnostic study and trust building

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Fig.51 : Mahila Kathya Kamgar Audyogik Co-op Society Ltd., Vengurla

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C

URRENT

Scenario

Emergence...

The global annual production of coir fibre is approximately 350,000 metric tons (MT). Yet, even in the world’s top two producers, that is India and Sri Lanka, which account for about 90% of global coir fibre production, combined. This renewable resource is underutilized; local coir mills process only a fraction of the available husks, which results in more or less as a waste during coconut processing.

Traditional uses of the coir fibre include making of rope and twine, brooms and brushes, doormats, rugs, mattresses and other upholstery, often in the form of rubberized coir pads. In the 1980s and 90s, global exports of coir fibre fell by almost half, as Western consumers shifted to synthetic foam and fibres. Then, since 1990, rapidly growing domestic demand in India more than doubled global production, benefitted essentially the Indian coir industry. Finally, since 2001, the rising Chinese market demand

for coir, an expanding market for coir-based erosion control products, and the spread of coir pith as a peat moss substitute in horticulture has further pushed up global production and prices.

The Coir Industry provides employment to more than 500,000 people, many of them are parttime women workers, who involve themself into making non-commercial craft items. Despite that, working conditions and productivity are quite poor. The challenge for industry is to sustainably create entropy in the markets for this versatile renewable resource while maintaining its role as an employer for major section of rural population. Businesses, public agencies and research institutes are now addressing this challenge in multilateral projects worldwide – setting examples that global trade can be beneficial to all parties involved.

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Fig.52 : Kudal Market, Sindhudurg

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M

ARKET

Study and Analysis

Local, National & Global The market for Kudal is not yet very developed. Also, Kerala being the earliest and largest supplier is a kind of threat to Kudal. As Kerala market for coir is huge and developed, it is suggestive that either Kudal should start as a supplier of raw material or finished goods to Kerala factories to begin with, and as their industry grows stronger and set its base, carve out a niche market and individuality for themselves by diversification.

According to The Hindu’s, Business Line, ‘The Indian coir industry is an important cottage industry contributing significantly to the economy of the major coconut-growing States and Union Territories such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.’ They stated, ‘About 5.5 lakh get employment, mostly part time, from this industry. Exports from the coir industry are around Rs. 70 crore. Coconut husk is the basic raw material for coir products. At least 50 per cent of the available coir husk is used to

produce coir products. The rest is used as fuel in rural areas. Hence, there is scope for growth of coir industry.’

Furthermore, they added for the scope of high development economically and in terms of powerful handicraft of the country. ‘To India’s advantage, it exports largely value-added products – yarn, mats, and rugs. Global trade volume for coir fibre, value-added products – yarn, mats, rugs – and coir pith is now valued at $140 million annually with India for about $70 million.’, they added.

Coir products have competition in markets aboard mostly from products exported from other coir producing countries and other natural and synthetic products like jute, sisal, abacca, rubber, PVC etc. The high incidence to freight on the FOB (Free On Board) value of export from India renders the products often uncompetitive in price sensitive markets. A wide range of coir and coir products are export-

74

ed from the country. These inter alia include coir yarn, coir pith, coir fibre, coir rope coir rugs, handloom mats, handloom mattings, power loom mats, rubberized coir, curled coir, coir geo-textiles and coir other sorts. Coir products are exported to 105 countries in 200809 from 97 countries in the year 2007-08. It is estimated that more than 90 per cent of Indian Coir export revenue comes from value added products. The trend in the overall volume of sale of coir and coir products significantly changed from the sixties when more than 50 per cent of the production used to be exported. Presently the domestic consumption has increased significantly to absorb about 85 per cent of total production. Since the export volume has been increasing, the domestic market has become much more prominent.

The challenge now for industry is to sustain or expand markets for this versatile renewable resource, while maintaining its role as em-

ployer for the rural poor. This may require producers to innovate production, improve product consistency, and in particular develop novel applications – jointly with their customers in coir importing countries.

Linage is often not continued as coir industry doesn’t justify the artisans’ labour with good money, the educated next generations of the artisans tend to migrate into cities for better options, or some work as labourers in absence of education. Due to this, they are not inculcated with the skills and hereditary knowledge of their own craft. Also, they never try to make a link between their craft and education as they are unaware of the value of the handicraft industry. This industry requires a bridge between both the generations as coir industry needs market exposure and the educated generation has easy access to the market and is very well aware about how to advertise.

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Chapter 7

MISCELLANEOUS

77

S

WOT

Analysis

Detailed Study STRENGTHS :

WEAKNESSES :

• Sufficient availability of coconut husk (basic raw material) .

• The society shows considerable participation, but in reality it is not so.

• Huge production of Coir fibre which has a wide scope for value addition.

• It is inefficient to capture large market share due to lack of administrative skill among the departmental staff.

• Readiness of the new generation to enter this trade.

• Existence of engineering infrastructure such as workshop.

• Lack of innovative technology and poor entrepreneurship weakens the society.

• There is a scope of expansion of Coir industrial corporative society by regular supply of raw material.

• Most of the Coir society are functioning in rural side - erratic power cut inhibits the production.

• It needs a low capital investment and semi skilled labour.

• Weak linkage with bank and financial institutions.

• It provides employment opportunity to weaker section including women. Labour generation is more in this sector.

• As coconut palm does not withstand prolonged spells of extreme weather variations, the uninterrupted availability of coconut husk (basic raw material) depends on climatic condition which result in scarcity of raw material due to hot and dry summer.

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OPPORTUNITIES :

THREATS :

• There is a great opportunity to the mat and matting products because of the indulgence of looms. Hence improvement over the product can raise the production.

• Competition from products such as Nylon, Jute, Sisal fibre etc.

• Competition from coconut growing country like Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Philippine etc.

• Depending upon the demand from North Indian market, South Indian Coir production is boosted.

Production adjustment are needed to avoid wastage and shortage problem.

• Utilisation of husk for fuel purpose.

• Higher cost of production leading to its inability to withstand in the money oriented market economy of today.

• Potential for products diversification and value addition from existing products.

• The profit of the society does not show healthy sign to the corporative Coir sector hence it needs some policy attention from government side.

• Exploiting the individual investment potential for strengthening the value chain • Increase in domestic and export market prospect for Coir product.

• Implementation of Government schemes for focused development of the cluster.

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P

ROMOTIONAL Strategies

For a better future INDUSTRY

Coir is a very versatile material hence, the handicraft of it is very unique. Being highly sustainable and bio-degradable, coir is too precious a material to be wasted. Today, in the world of expensive plastic, PVC or animal skins, coir is an excellent alternative in the design field. Diversified product range is an immediate need for the industry. Coir industry still works with a very limited number of products like rope for industrial purposes, broomstick and foot-mats. Diversification of products based on the unique properties that coir bear such as abrasion resistant, water retention, UV rays proof etc adds to its ambidexterity, suitable for a modern market.

Promoting Employment GenerationThere are not many people that are aware of the employment side provided by the industry. Thereby, it would be very helpful for the unemployed and unskilled people to get a job. This plan shall be brought in use, by the help of government aided ads in print and digital media, pamphlets, flyers etc.

Woman Empowerment- Since coir factories have provided so much labour for women all over the nation, it has definitely brought up the concept of working women.

The achievement of women can be published about in magazines and brought into newspaper articles so that people get inspired and begin to explore the possibilities in the industry as a whole entity.

Use of coir is extensively done in industries such as agricultural and handloom and product design.

The direct promotion of the material can be done via these industries. There can be tours organised for colleges or even young school children to visit factories. This way, there could be direct interactions between the pupil and employees.

Since the machines are user friendly, people can try a hand on with the machinery.

Promotional Plans for the coir development is divided into several section on the basis of utility and sector. The following categories are, industrial, craft and coir as a whole material. These strategies will help in creating awareness and communicate about coir as a craft and industry. Some plans are easy in execution and will quickly spread about.

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Fig.53 : Packaged earrings by Naresh

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CRAFT

explore and learn about the craft.

Stores of handicrafts and related aesthetics can have props and fixtures in their showrooms made of coir fibres for visual merchandizing. These props might include, lampshades, baskets for display etc. that would be a different experience for the buyers as well as the shopkeepers.

Another creative idea of using coir could be done as bookmarks that are gifted with a book purchase in big stores. It can either have information or quotes related to coir.

Workshops in colleges and schools can be conducted wherein, the students are provided with ‘Coir Kits’ so that, they get adequate skills and knowledge about coir and maybe look into its further development out of interest or otherwise. These kits would include, the coir fibres, tools like, scissors, plyers, needles, glue and other required ones.

There are many people who live fast lives and are traveling every now and then. For such people, travel logs can have information about coir handicraft. Magazines

Installations in events like Indian International Trade Fair, Kala Ghoda etc can be showcased which are made up of coir. These stalls can also possess other stationaries and products for people to buy and use. Some of these products can be the basic ones like baskets and magazine stands that are used in daily life. Also, fairs like these can provide complimentary goodies made of coir with other purchases.

Products can be put into museums for exhibition displays along with an informative booklet teaching, about the properties and characteristics of coir fibre. This could be very educational in general and will get popularised.

Official events like meetings and seminars can provide the participants with folders made with coir, which would be biodegradable and also handcrafted.

Coir facts, puzzles, and creative interactive content can be created and printed at the back covers of notebooks which will allow kids to

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can also help in the same and let people know about the scope of coir in Maharashtra and nationwide.

Organic material selling stores can have packaging made of coir and supply free samples of little artefacts which people can use and the packaging can be disposed into the gardens without damaging the environment also.

Such an underrated craft should also be documented by channels like National Geography and Discovery so that it is broadcasted and reached out to more people more easily.

material flourish more.

The coir industrial waste i.e. coco pith is a great substitute for soil and has a high water retention ability, therefore can be used in gardens.

Introduction of a ‘Coir Day’ by NGO’s should be done in order to give it a royal promotion. In the following event, there will be distribution of merchandise like T-shirts with relevant graphics about coir and its importance. An event of planting shall be conducted but instead of the pods being kept in plastic bags, these bags will be made of coir fibres which can either be directly removed and sown with the plant or just used as manure. This will help reduce plastic and prevent any kind of pollution.

The biodegradable property will be a main character.

Usage of coir fibres in Idol Making should be promoted by supplying the fibres to the local idol makers

by NGO or Government bodies.

This will help in keeping the environment as well as the resources sustainable.

AS A MATERIAL Being a versatile material, it can have several advantages to it. It can be made into textiles and then moulded into packaging. This shall be helpful as then, if the packaging is discarded, it will degenerate and be used as a fertilizer.

The material can be used as a topic of study in colleges oriented for art and design and related topics. It will definitely help in making the

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F

UTURE

Ideas and Plans A long way to go

There has been a lot of improvisation in the coir industry lately, and as for handicrafts, there hasn’t been done much and there are plans that are in progress and are coming up for the betterment of the industry.

Many government initiatives have been conducted, for instance, MSSIDC, have begun to construct and develop, 12 training and processing units for coir rope manufacturing in Sindhudurg of which, 5 have already been inaugurated and started to work on. This will definitely help the Maharashtrian coir industry to flourish and become more efficient in the upcoming years.

Mr. Naresh, he revealed that he is soon to establish a museum and art gallery on a personal loan of 20 Lakhs. He also revealed that he wants his kids to know about the craft and develop it in the future.

In association to government, he legitimately wishes for them to help with promoting marketing and seeking out further innovations unlike current conditions where he is mostly publicizing by face to face communication.

Another great plan that is lead out by the MSME is that to provide women that are village bound, enterprising or the ones who wish to do the same, but lack resources, be provided with housing and supply them a work-from-home kit of machineries, so that they can easily contribute to the craft.

As for Vengurla, there are already plans to create an exhibition center by the Coir Board. Thus, creating a different platform for the crafts to be shown and sold. This will allow people to look into the versatility and scope for coir as a craft.

After interacting with the artisan,

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Fig.54 : Museum and Art Gallery by Naresh (in progress), Kandalgaon

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Chapter 8

THE RESULT

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C

ONCLUSION :

Summary and Suggestions

Coir is an industrial material, which has been used in the market for a lot of years now and as for coir craft, the odds of it growing in the future is quite hopeful. The entire process of studying coir as industry and craft has been very informative and interesting. From getting to see the raw coconuts to getting them into the machines for coir extraction to the huge blocks of the same has been intriguing. However, the exploration of the material’s craft has not been done as much in the district of Sindhudurg. The process of making aesthetic products of coir could not be record-

ed due to the weather conditions and lack of availability of enough skilled craftsmen. Coir is a potential material and has a lot of scope for further development in Maharashtra if done in the rightly manner. People have been engaging themselves into the industry which is brilliant to watch as the majority is the young people. It is an emerging craft and the USP of it would be its duality as functional and dexterity. Planning out its promotional schemes wisely would be a big step into the development of this craft and establish its place into the lives of regular citizens.

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Fig.55 : Female worker at Vengurla

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O

UR

Experience

A wonderful journey Being able to know and explore an absolutely new world of handicraft and industry was a wonderful experience, from traveling all the way to Sindhudurg, Kudal and to Vengurla to meet an artisan as talented and humble as Mr. Naresh.It is obvious that we are not only thankful but also spell bound to have seen such beautiful paradise like destination as Sindhudurg. With collecting information about the coir industry itself we explored a many more thing about the culture, the people, food and other aspects of the geography that we, living in the cities have been missing out on.

With one week of hard work, we also had moments of eccentricity and happiness.

After delving deeper into the whole process, we came to know that the following agenda has a lot to develop and be promoted.

This opportunity made our group, work on its individual strengths and tested our boundaries with working in association with the coir industry and with each other.

We would like to thank everyone from the mentors to the artisans to the ‘auto-wale bhaiya’, for making our journey of exploring coir so convenient and interesting.

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Fig.56 : Coir Group along with Naresh and family, Malvan

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A

NNEXURE

Figure 2. Vengurla Beach - Viral Zilpe Figure 3. Streets of Kudal - Epari Sibani Figure 4. Shree Shani Maruti Temple, Malvan - Epari Sibani Figure 5. Citizens of Kudal - Tanisha verma Figure 6. Kudal market scene - Bhagyashree Nayak Figure 7. Regular Food Items - Viral Zilpe Figure 8. Coconut Husks - Bhagyashree nayak Figure 11. Local Coconut Plantation - Viral Zilpe Figure 12. Raw material Supply - Tanisha Verma Figure 13. Initial Retting - Bhagyashree Nayak Figure 14. Crushing of husks - Epari Sibani Figure 15. Bittering Process - Epari Sibani Figure 16. Screening of fibres - Epari Sibani Figure 17. Retting of fibres - Harshita Gaur Figure 18. Manual cleaning of fibres - Tanisha Verma Figure 19. Fibre bundles - Epari Sibani Figure 20. Coco Pith - Epari Sibani Figure 21. Coco Pith blocks - Aishwarya Vinod Figure 22. Curling of Coir ropes - Epari Sibani Figure 23. Willowing Process - Harsh Asiwal Figure 24. Coir waste - Tanisha Verma Figure 25. Slivering Process - Epari Sibani Figure 26. Mechanical spinning of 2ply rope - Tanisha Verma Figure 27. Charkha: manual spinning - Tanisha Verma Figure 28. Coir ropes - Aishwarya Vinod Figure 29. Pressing of ropes - Epari Sibani Figure 30. Weaving of coir ropes - Epari Sibani

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Figure 31. Coir mats - Epari Sibani Figure 32. Mahila Kathya Kamgar Audyogik Co-op Society Ltd., Vengurla - Bhagyashree Nayak Figure 33. MSSIDC Kathya Udyog, Kudal - Epari Sibani Figure 34. Coco Pith - Tanisha Verma Figure 35. Naresh Kalmethar, Coir Craftsman - Epari Sibani Figure 36. Naresh’s Family - Harsh Asiwal Figure 37. Elephant figurine made of coir by Naresh - Harsh Asiwal Figure 38. Coir ropes - Aishwarya Vinod Figure 39. Door mats - Harsh Asiwal Figure 40. Earring design - Tanisha Verma Figure 41. Earring and clutcher design - Tanisha Verma Figure 42. Earrings - Epari Sibani Figure 43. Decorative Items - Harsh Asiwal Figure 44. Baskets - Google Image Figure 45. Pots - Google Image Figure 46. Handbags - Harsh Asiwal Figure 47. Coco Pith Blocks - Harsh Asiwal Figure 48. Coco Pith Product - Harsh Asiwal Figure 49. Fruits made of Coco Pith - Epari Sibani Figure 50. Female Workers, Coir Factory, Vengurla - Tanisha Verma Figure 51. Mahila Kathya Kamgar Audyogik Co-op Ltd, Vengurla Harsh Asiwal Figure 52. Kudal market, Sindhudurg - Tanisha Verma Figure 53. Packaged earrings by Naresh - Tanisha Verma Figure 54. Museum and Art gallery by Naresh (in progress, Kandalgao) Tanisha Verma Figure 55. Female worker at Vengurla- Harshita Gaur Figure 56. Coir Group along with Naresh and Family, Malvan - Somnath Mane (Mentor)

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Questionnaire ARTISANS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Introduction For how long have you been working today?

What are your working hours?

When did you start your training and working for this plant?

What are the tools you use?

What are the machines used in the processing plant?

Is it a permanent profession?

What are the products you can make?

Do you enjoy working? Have you exchanged your knowledge or skills with anyone?

Do you want your children to follow in your footsteps?

Working area extent-where or which places have you worked?

What are the kinds of problems you have to face while working (e.g., financial, physical, physiological, emotional) ?

Tell us about your friends from work.(working environment) How do you coordinate with other workers and other depart ments of the plant?

If you get a chance will you change your job?

Are you satisfied?

Tell us about your family.

Where do you stay and how do you travel to work?

Do you get enough help when you need?

How do you dye the yarns?

How much is the final cost of the products

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DESIGN ORIENTED • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Sizes of ropes Shapes of ropes Types of spin in the ropes Yarn per rope Functionality Aesthetic value Other uses Other possible products Who designs the products How do you implement the designs What kind of products are prominently made/ are popular How much time it takes to make one How did you learn it and how much time it took Who taught you Where did you get skilled Have you ever taught anyone Do you want to teach them Do your family members know how to make such products Where do you think these products can be used the most

OFFICIALS • • • • • • • • • • •

Introduction Experience- How long have you been working, Tell us about coir craft initiative in Maharashtra. (history- plant set up, financial, initiators) Tell us about coir board of India and its operation in this region.

What are the other coir processing units in Sindhudurg and Ma harashtra in general?

What is your niche in this unit?

What is the budget per annum and how is it managed?

Your opinion about-the craft, growth, people who work for it and in it, market, scope, popularity, How the workers are selected?

How do you think coir craft has affected the region?

How has government helped?

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FACTORY SUPERVISOR (PROCESSING PLANT HEAD) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

For how many years this factory is operated (establishment) How many workers Total Workforce How do you hire your employees What are the training facilities provided to the workers Who are the trainers From where you source your materials (Supply Chain) What are the different processes involved (detailed under standing and information) What do you do with the waste produced (processed or used) Production rate of products Where the final product is exported or supplied to How do you think the coir of Maharashtra is different from Kerala and Odisha?

Total output in a day What are the working hours What all services and facilities this factory is lacking Total turnover Peak Season Management of the factory What all departments are there in the factory What help do you get from the Government Workers’ Pay

CONSUMER ORIENTED • • • •

Do you feel the show pieces and show cases at your home play an important role in making your interior look more aesthetic?

If yes, would you prefer such show pieces to be made from natural products or from some artificial material?

Were you aware that coir had multiple uses apart from serv ing our basic necessities?

Have you ever seen any type of coir products used as decor

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• • • • •

at any of your friend’s place or anywhere else?

Would you suggest to your friends and family to use coir products as an aesthetic product or for any other purpose?

Would you prefer to buy coir products if it had a better fin ish and look?

Or would you prefer the coir products in a more raw and natural form?

Since coir is an upcoming craft, would you buy some coir products just to promote it?

Do you think with proper promotion and innovation this craft can be made commercially viable?

MARKET AND SALES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Procedure they follow for sales Current Occupancy rates for labourers right now?

Target Audience How they appeal to them and deal with their preferences and requirements What was the sales condition when coir wasn’t that famous How do customers contact them for the purchase What is the segregation strategies for the products What are the price ranges of your products What is the profit you gain What are the pre sales procedures Quantity of sales in a particular time period What is the peak period of your sales Are there any complaints from the customers How do you deal with those complaints How the product reaches the customers (directly retailed or wholesaling) Delivery strategies Packaging strategies Promotional tools used by them (if any) Is any kind of support extended by the Government

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PPENDIX

CONSUMER SURVEY REPORT Purpose : The purpose of the survey was to carry out a quantitative study of potential consumers and their knowledge about coir as a decorative product.

Participants : Sample size of 60 The participants of the survey included youth (above 20years) who are interested in making their environment more aesthetic.

The Questionnaire : The subjective questions were focused on the consumer’s familiarity with coir as a product and as a material, the frequency of its use for the decorative purposes and concerns related to the same(risk associated with it).

Results : The responses to the initial questions revealed that the majority of the participants are willing to buy decorative products. 88% of the participants said that they would prefer natural products over artificial ones.

About 84% of them knew about coir but only 58% of people knew about the ambidexterity of coir. It was also found out that 88% would prefer coir products with better finish and look, due to their concerns about safety, related to the unfinished texture of coir.

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IDOL MAKING USING COIR Coir fibres are used in making different kinds of plaster of Paris idols to cater to the market needs. The artisans use readymade mould which is made of rubber for casting process. The fibres ensure long lasting of the idols, making the plaster stronger. Normal water is used to mix with Plaster of Paris powder to make solution. The mould is poured into the rubber moulds. After the casts are dried down, they are removed. The details are done with scrapers and chisels and afterwards painted for aesthetic purposes.

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Refereneces & Bibliography

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https://www.swadesi.com/news/2016/06/16/coir-craft-2/ http://coirboard.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Sawantwadi-DPR-28.7.15.pdf http://msme.gov.in/sites/default/files/Coir-Vikas-YojanaContents.pdf http://coirboard.gov.in/wp-content/downloads/Schemes_Services.pdf http://www.indianmirror.com/indian-industries/2012/coir-2012.html http://greenzcoir.com/coir-fiber/ http://www.coirservices.gov.in/frm_login.aspx http://coirboard.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Executive-Summary-Survey-of-Coir-Industries-in-India.pdf http://serialsjournals.com/serialjournalmanager/pdf/1325843687.pdf http://www.saicocopeat.com/coir-baskets.php http://coirboard.gov.in/?page_id=58 http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Coir.html http://www.geewinexim.net/coir-fiber.html https://kerala.gov.in/documents/10180/1a22a847-93c4-47e7-b44e-6 1df6173ecda http://www.efymag.com/admin/issuepdf/13-15_Coir.pdf https://www.swadesi.com/news/2016/06/16/coir-craft-2/ https://mssidc.maharashtra.gov.in/?page_id=90 http://coirboard.gov.in/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coir_Board_of_India http://coirservices.gov.in/Html_Files/coir_board.htm http://pmjandhanyojana.co.in/mahila-coir-yojana/