The Coir Board Chairman, Mr V.S. Vijayaraghavan, has asked for the West Bengal Government's support to set up coir-based industries in the State.

There is great scope for such industries in coconut growing West Bengal, Mr Vijayaraghavan said, and this can generate employment in rural areas.

Inaugurating a coir products exhibition, connected with the opening of the Common Facility Centre (CFC) attached to the Dhanchiberia Coir Cluster at Bagpota in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, he said CFC will extend skill development training besides technical and marketing support in the coir sector.

Common Facility Centre, set up for Rs 43.83 lakh, has facilities to produce about 300 tonnes of fine fibre a year for small-scale coir units and artisans. The product can be used to make value-added items including brush, mats and rubberised coir mattresses.

The Dhanchiberia coir cluster was set up in 2005 with a central subsidy of Rs 76.92 lakh under the Board's Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFRUTI) and with the State Government's assistance of Rs 8.44 lakh.

The traditional coir industry, which originated in Kerala, has now spread to other coconut producing States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Assam, Tripura and West Bengal, which now produces 355.5 million nuts from an estimated 28,600 hectares under coconut cultivation.

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