Date:27/09/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/09/27/stories/2004092706490600.htm

Tamil Nadu

Develop Pollachi into special zone: Coir Board

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, SEPT. 26. Top Coir Board officials yesterday urged the State Government to initiate efforts at developing Pollachi into a Special Economic Zone for coir-related products so that entrepreneurs could avail themselves of excise duty concessions.

Addressing a meet organised to mark the presentation of a development mission document for coir industry, the officials said District Collectors could themselves prepare project reports and tap crores of funds available with the Union Rural Development Ministry.

Job potential

The Chairman, C. Chandran, said the industry had a potential to generate one lakh jobs and bring in a Central grant of over Rs. 750 crores in the next five years.

Tamil Nadu could come out with a vision model for coir development, detailing factors such as fund flow and gender empowerment. He also mooted a decentralised husk collection mechanism on the lines of milk procurement and rubber collection so that the export target of Rs. 500 crores could be achieved by 2008.

The Minister for Rural Industries, B. Valarmathi, assured all possible assistance to the efforts of the Board, as the project involved Rs. 3,000 crore-outlay, besides largescale employment opportunities for rural women and the unskilled people. When an entrepreneur brought to her notice that the State Government gave tax exemption to a non-existent product, "coir husk", and added that it should have actually been extended to "coconut husk," Ms. Valarmathi said the Commercial Taxes Department would be approached to rectify the decade-old anomaly, through a notification, if necessary.

V. Suresh, the Board consultant and the former Chairman and Managing Director of HUDCO, said that besides rope, mat and mattress-making units, the Board was making efforts at projecting coir products as an alternative to wood and plywood. The coco fibre-based panel was environment-friendly, natural and termite-resistant material, comparable to even teak.

Mission document

As for the mission document, the officials said it had been prepared to ensure quantum jump for India in the coir sector.