India’s coir exports during the last financial year recorded a 17 per cent increase in value, largely due to higher exports of coir pith. The volume of exports increased by 20 per cent. India is the largest exporter of coir products such as mats, matting and rugs in the world. Coir pith is the top performer in terms of volume with a share of 54 per cent. Other products like coir geo-textiles, handloom mattings, tufted mats, power loom mats and coir rugs and carpets also showed a rising trend in exports.

Exports of items like curled coir, rubberised coir, power loom mattings and handloom mattings declined during the period. The US tops the list of countries in value terms of exports with nearly 26 per cent of the total realisation, while China, with 36 per cent of volume share, tops in that category. The US, China, Netherlands and South Korea are the main buyers of coir products from India.

However, coir is witnessing stiff competition from other mechanised products like PVC tufted mats. Coir is a natural fiber. Kerala is the home of the Indian coir industry. India supplies over 60 per cent of the world supply of white coir fiber.