Coirfed, a state cooperative marketing federation which has about 600 coir units, would be one arm through which the board intends to implement its marketing strategy. Along with Kerala, other state agencies are also being involved in the board's plans. Marketing agencies under the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments have agreed to contribute their network to market coir products.

The board's objective is to make coir and its products a lifestyle status symbol items, on par with various sought after handicrafts and other ethnic items.The Coir Board is also trying to promote the use of coir geotextiles with a planned campaign through the print and electronic media. The product with immense potential lacked proper marketing in domestic aswell as international markets, said sources in the board. With its biodegradable quality, it has an upper hand in many construction-related activities like embankments of new roads, railway lines and canals, protection for mud walls, reclaiming waterlogged areas for cultivation among others. A concerted campaign followed by aggressive marketing for its environmental-friendly quality is likely to improve the presence of coir geotextiles in international market.

Export of the coir geotextiles has increased four-fold from the previous year and the price of the product has increased by 800 per cent. The world requirement is for 1,400 million square metres of geotextiles for soil conservation. But the global market is heavily dominated by synthetic geotextiles, commanding over 95 per cent of the market.

Coir products heavily depend on the export market for its specialised items. These products if marketed properly in the country will create more demand for the items resulting in increase in production ofpremium products.

Other common products such as coir door mats, carpets, rubberised coir mats, ropes among others also need the thrust to make the coir sector vibrant.

The industry was utilising only 25 per cent of the total 2,96,000 tonnes of coconut fibre produced. Once the new marketing strategy is implemented the fibre utilisation is expected to be doubled.

The coir industry which employs about four lakh persons, of which 80 per cent are women, is badly in need of reorientation in terms of investment, productivity, technology, quality and marketing. The board's new thrust areas also include these basic aspects.

Research activities in coir industry have tossed up a variety of new inventions, which with further research can be upgraded. Making paper out of coir is one such product. A 100 per cent coir paper has turned out to be brittle while a composition of 50 per cent jute has given the paper more strength.

The board was seeking a sum of Rs 35 crore during the 1999-2000 for implementation ofvarious schemes, he said.