Coir exporters from the country are under stress having to export more volume to keep realisation stable due to appreciation of rupee, exporters said. An incremental volume of 18% during the first nine months of the current fiscal saw the value move up by only 1.21 %.
According to the statistics of the state-run Coir Board, India exported 1, 33,772 tonne of products to earn a revenue of Rs 432.68 crore during April-December 2007-08 as against 1,13,468 tonne valued at Rs 427.52 crore in the comparing period of last fiscal.
Interestingly, coir rugs and carpets have seen volume and value drop by almost 50% during the current period as against the last comparable period. Coir mattings have also fallen with both value and volume down by 17% and 10 % respectively.
The increasing volume has come from coir fibre and rope. Coir fibre has seen volume go up by 164% and value by 141%. Incremental exports of coir rope have fetched lesser value as volume increase of 131% has fetched only 9% increase in value.
The Coir Board is desperately seeking more sops for the sector to stay afloat as exporters are finding it difficult to remain profitable at the prevailing exchange rate. The Board has appealed to the commerce ministry that the coir sector be included in the higher entitlement of DEPB and for a reduction in pre-shipment and post-shipment credit to 6% from the present range of 9% to 11 %.