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| Sunday, 27 June 2004 |
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Apex body for coir industry gets going by Elmo Leonard An apex body of the coconut coir industry intended to promote its growth and development, called the Coir Council International (CCI), was inaugurated last week, on a USAID initiative. Minister of Plantation Industries, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, present on the occasion, observed that it was the first time, when people had come together and given thought to the importance of the coconut coir and coir products industry. This industry is important, as it employs 35,000 to 40,000 persons and in year 2000 earned Rs 4 billion ($52 million) in forex. The Minister pledged to do everything he could, to help coconut growers obtain good price for their coconuts and prevent them from adopting the recent practice of selling their plantations to be converted into development work and real estate. Only 25 percent of coconut husk was being utilised, but in India, most of the coir was put into use. Minister Yapa promised to assist in better utilisation of coconut husk. CCI President, I. Piyasena said that India and Sri Lanka account for more than 95 percent of the global trade in coir. Sri Lanka predominantly exports fibre and pith while 97 percent of India's export revenue comes from value-added products. Sri Lanka's export value per metric tonne of coir material was only 38 percent of India's. CCI is managed by the private sector with participation from the public sector. CCI Director, Gardon de Silva said that it was set up to jointly to address challenges faced by the industry, members with representation from all stakeholdres of the value chain. CCI has been founded under the auspices of USAID sponsored programme, the Competitiveness Initiative (CTI). The Council was formed as a result of the cluster's "Industry Strategy" and the industry "road map" calls for the formation of an industry apex body. CCI comprises of growers, millers, manufacturers and exporters represented through their respective associations as well as representatives from the academia and related government sector institutions including the Coconut Development Authority and Coconut Research Institute CDI. The objectives of CCI include: To engage and promote scientific research; to upgrade the technological and skill content of the coir fibre and manufactured product export activity; to conduct training and development programs for industry; to serve as the central forum for consensus building among growers, millers, manufacturers and exporters; to be the unifying force in working with the government to ensure that coir's interests are considered; to initiate annual policymaking through recommendations generated by CCI's programme committees; to ensure the ability of Sri Lanka coir industry segments to compete effectively and profitably in the coir fibre and manufactured products markets at home and abroad. |
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