In an endeavour to promote the MSME-concentrated coir sector and its products, the Kerala State Coir Development Department has organised the Malabar Coir Fest 2010 in Kozhikode, which will commence on August 12, 2010. The organisers seek to use this festival as a platform where entrepreneurs in the coir sector and youth can assemble.

Speaking to a Bizxchange correspondent, Subrat Priyabrat Mohanty, a member at the Coir Board which is also participating in the fest, said, “Such coir-specific festivals should be arranged more often because besides promoting coir products among people, these fests also act as awareness workshops for educating common masses about using coir instead of artificial fibre products as coir is environment-friendly. Coir being a part of India’s cottage industry, which has a significant presence of MSMEs, such festivals offer visibility to their products.”

Apart from Coir Board, the other participants at the festival which will have nearly 80 stalls include the Kerala State Co-operative Coir Marketing Federation Limited and the National Coir Research and Management Institute.

“It is true that there are a limited number of units in the coir sector when compared to the number of MSMEs in other popular sectors such as textile or automobiles. But that could be credited to the fact that the raw material for coir products is available in bulk only in certain states,” said Soundar Raj, owner of SR Enterprises, a small-sized unit n Coimbatore which manufactures coir pith.

Notably, the newly launched coir de-fibering machine will also be displayed at the festival.