Giving a fillip to its expansion plans, Coirfed is setting up more retail outlets and appointing new agents outside Kerala to market its products.
The State Coir and Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash said Coirfed has finalised plans to recruit agents for merchandising its products outside Kerala. At present, the federation has 52 showrooms and more than 100 retail outlets throughout India and 152 agents in Kerala.
The Minister said the federation would recruit agents in Delhi, Gujarat, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and all the coir-belt States including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, he said.
Rani George, Secretary, Coir, said there was a need to harness the potential of this largely untapped domestic market. The focus should be on setting up more retail outlets, increasing the number of agents and holding road shows outside the State to popularise Kerala coir and its products.
B. Sreekumar, Managing Director of Coirfed, said the body should diversify its activities given its infrastructure facilities, well-established marketing network and trained manpower.
The agency has displayed a range of new products at Coir Kerala 2014 to suit the requirements of people of all age groups. The products include an assortment of mats and mattresses that can be used for bathing small kids and inducing sleep among insomniacs and the aged.
Earlier, inaugurating the 4th edition of Coir Kerala 2014 at Alappuzha, Union Defence Minister A.K. Antony called upon both the Centre and State Governments to work together to uplift Kerala’s coir sector, which was the main income generator for lakhs of workers.
The coir sector was in crisis as the number of people taking up employment in the sector had fallen in the last couple of years. The Government should focus on the sector and help it regain its lost charm, he said.
The Government should ensure steady availability of raw materials for the smooth functioning of the coir industry. It should also look to diversify coir products through modernisation schemes catering to the changing tastes of the people, he said.