Thiruvananthapuram: The coir department will roll out new initiatives to attract women entrepreneurs to the sector and strengthen the marketing and sales of coir products, said coir minister Ramesh Chennithala.The minister directed the coir development director to submit proposals for new schemes to boost production and distribution, create employment opportunities for women and expand the market for coir products. A proposal has also been put forward to establish 10 new coir consortiums to overcome the current crisis in fibre production.The objective is to address the shortage of raw fibre and help the industry recover from its difficulties, he said. The minister has also directed that an action plan be submitted for this purpose. “The govt’s goal is to protect the traditional coir sector while ensuring steady jobs and income for workers,” he said.The meeting also reviewed the progress of the “A Support Hand for Coir” scheme, launched to find markets for coir products. It was decided to open stalls in every district to attract more buyers.Instructions in this regard were given to Coirfed and the coir corporation. A decision was also taken to initiate necessary steps to clear pending dues of coir-spinning groups and resolve the problems faced by coir societies.
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