Date:01/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/01/stories/2008090155870800.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Poor demand, low prices plague coir units

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Insufficient demand and low price of coir continue to plague coir units in the State, according to a census on coir units and sample survey conducted by the Centre for Socio-economic and Environmental Studies for the government.

Other problems include inadequacy and high price of raw materials and lack of skilled personnel in the weaving sector.

The major work related issues reported by workers were health problems, low level of earnings and inadequate job opportunities. Occupational health problems included body ache, pain in limbs and hand, back pain and allergies.

The single largest problem reported by exporters was the appreciation of rupee against other currencies in recent years. They also faced problems in marketing. Monopoly of big exporters and replacement of coir products by jute and sisal were also among the problems.

The sample survey indicated the relatively low presence of the younger generation in the sector.

The only exception perhaps was the limited companies where nearly a quarter of the workforce was young. The unattractiveness of the job, low wages, changing aspirations, higher education levels and the availability of jobs in other sectors, the survey said, might have contributed to the failure of the sector in attracting the young generation. In half of the households of the coir workers; only one member was involved in the sector.

Among the workers in the household units, 44 per cent currently had outstanding loans. Banking institutions and co-operatives were the main sources of loan. One-fifth also depended on moneylenders.

Other small scale production units outside the household and the cooperative sector reported a larger variety of problems. The main ones were inadequate prices, difficulties in realising the payments and lack of demand. About 30 percent of the units reported problems of scarcity and high prices of raw materials. Lack of skilled labour, health problems of workers and low wages were acute in the case ‘other’ units.