The Coir Board's participation at the recently-concluded four day House and Gift Fair, Sao Paulo, Brazil, has helped to strengthen the prospects of a pick up in coir product exports to South America that is now 13th among over 100 coir products importing nations.
The Coir Board Chairman, Mr V.S. Vijayaraghavan, said that the Board was meticulously analysing the encouraging trade enquiries received at the fair in order to translate it into higher export targets in the coming years in view of the fact that Brazil is the world's seventh largest economy with a strong GDP and the eighth largest by purchasing power parity.
Being a premier exhibition for Houseware and Gifts products in the South American region, he said the Brazilian fair saw the participation of over 1,300 exhibitors from 20 countries and an estimated 49,000 international buyers from about 52 countries visiting the exhibition.
According to him, the Coir Board had taken special care to showcase novel products at the two stalls booked by the board and by exporters separately.
He was accompanied by the Director (Marketing), Mr M. Kumaraswamy Pillai, besides a three-member delegation representing coir exporters and entrepreneurs.
He said that coir product exports to Brazil comprising tufted mats, handloom mats, coir yarn, handloom and mattings, had touched 1,551.06 tonnes valued at Rs 10.43 crore during 2010-11 against 1,332.44 tonnes valued at Rs 6.95 crore earned during 2008-09.
Many prospective buyers from Latin America visited the Board's stall and held discussions with the Chairman and Director (Marketing).
Ms Abilasha Joshi, Counsel General of India, and Senior Officials of the Consulate, visited the Board's stall and held discussions with the Chairman and officials.