Plastic goods hit coir industry

By Ananda KANNANGARA

Manufacturing brooms and ekel brooms

Making coir based products.

The import of plastic brooms and brushes were eating into the fabric of coir manufacturers and small scale manufacturers of brooms and ekel brooms. Coir manufacturers say that there has been a drastic drop in sales and that the Government should intervene and protect small-time coir manufacturers.

Prison history shows that the first coir rope which was to be fixed to the gallows in Sri Lanka, 150 years ago was brought from a manufacturer, called Martin Singho, living in Pothupitiya in the Kalutara District. As the quality of the local rope was not up to standard, another rope was brought from Pakistan and this was fixed to the gallows in 1877.

History also shows that the local hangman who was appointed by former colonial rulers had come all the way from Kandy to this picturesque village of Pothupitiya to buy the coir rope.

Coir manufacturers in Pothupitiya even today reminisce about the historic coir rope which was bought by the Lankan Prison, 150 years ago and was a product of Pothupitiya.

The book titled `Coir industry Down South' reveals that people in the village of Pothupitiya had been engaged in the coir industry even before the colonial era.

Ancient kings had supported coir industrialists.

According to statistics, the coir industry is carried out in the coastal areas of the Kalutara District.

The livelihood of about 400 families in Kalutara, Beruwala, Matugama, Pothupitiya, Waskaduwa and Wadduwa areas are manufacturing coir-related products.

Statistics also reveal that over 3,000 people living in these areas depend on the coir industry.

We visited coir industrialists in Beruwala, Pothupitiya and Wadduwa to see the development of the industry and also to inquire about the grievances faced by them.

A long standing coir industrialist, 57-year-old Upali Karunaratna of Pothupitiya said over 300 families in the village were engaged in the coir industry and earn a sufficient monthly income.

He said about 3,000 people in the village and in the surrounding areas depend on the coir goods manufacturing industry and unlike in the past, many people now used brooms and brushes made of synthetic material.

"This was a big blow to coir industrialists. The Government should control the import of synthetic items, so that the coir industry could survive and develop,".

Upali said he has been in the coir product manufacturing industry for the past 20 years and manufactured various products such as brooms, ekel brooms and hand brushes

"Coir is brought to our village by traders from Kurunegala and Wennappuwa areas and manufacturers sell their products not only to the surrounding villages, but also to distant areas".

He said there is a marked improvement in sales from last year due to a large quantity of products that are purchased by people in the Northern District.

Now traders take about two lorry loads of coir goods to Jaffna every month,"

Upali said many people in the district manufacture coir related goods as self-employment projects. Each family earns about Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 15,000 a month.

He said it was sad that officials of area, Divisional Secretariats have never visited coir industrialists to see the development of the industry and suggested that they visit the villages regularly.

The owner of a coir-based product industry, 34-year-old, Indika Amarasena said he produced brooms and ekel brooms and also employed men and women in his workshop.

Amarasena wants area Divisional Secretariats and politicians to intervene and help solve problems faced by manufacturers and workers in the industry.

"Over 300 families who are engaged in the coir goods manufacturing industry face hardship and it is the duty of area public officials to help them to develop their business, if not this will become another dying industry".

A father of three, 60-year-old Gamage Gunapala of Kalutara said he has been in the coir goods manufacturing industry for the last 35 years and was not earning more than Rs. 10,000 a month and the amount was not sufficient even to meet his daily expenses.

He said due to the arrival of plastic brooms to the market, the coir industry is now facing immense hardship.

"Sometimes we cant sell our products and I personally propose the Department of Small Industries to reduce the import of plastic brooms and hand brushes to the country , if the Government really wants to supports the local small-scale manufacturers".

"We are aware that the Governments depend on taxes, but there should be a limit of importing goods that could be manufactured here."

He said when this matter was brought to the notice of area politicians, they did not pay any attention to the grievances of small scale coir goods manufacturers and were helpless.

A 68-year-old coir goods manufacturer, Keerthisena Yapa of Pohoddaramulla said he started making brooms and carpets about 25 year ago.

He said his father, the late David Appuhamy who was a well-known carpet manufacturer taught him the art of making coir products.

"My family and I depend on this industry and we produce brooms, ekel brooms, brushes and carpets and sell them to tourist hotels in the district."

He said area politicians do not help coir industrialists to expand their business activities and suggested them to visit their small coir goods manufacturing workshops regularly like they do during election periods.

He also said the arrival of imported brooms and brushes to the local market has badly affected to the development of the local coir goods manufacturing industry.

If officials visit their villages, they could see the pathetic living conditions of coir goods manufacturers and the best thing was to reduce the import of brooms, brushes and protect the local industry.

A father of two, W.A. Ranjith said coir is brought from Wennappuwa and Kurunegala and a kilo of processed coir is Rs. 85. three brooms could be manufactured from one kilo.

He also said unless with the State assistance, the coir industry cannot be developed.

He also proposed officials to start a bank loan scheme for the benefit of coir goods manufacturers.

Osmand Silva urged the Ministry of Industries to hold coir product exhibitions in the main cities to enable manufacturers to sell their products without the intervention of middlemen.

An owner of a coir goods sales centre at Pohoddaramulla , Wadduwa valued President Mahinda Rajapaksa's effort to develop the country's traditional industries and said that the President should call coir goods manufacturers to discuss matters pertaining to them. Coir goods manufacturer Dayal Fernando of Waskaduwa requested Government Departments , schools , hospitals, tourist hotels and countrywide Local Government offices to purchase at least 75 percent locally made coir related products to their offices as a helping hand to manufacturers.