Coir Board targets Rs 2000cr exports for 12th 5-yr-plan

The Coir Board has set an ambitious export target of Rs 2,000 crore for the 12th plan period ending in 2012-2017, its chairman VS Vijayraghavan said here today.

Last year the export earnings stood at Rs 806 crore. Inaugurating a three-day Management Development Programme for coir exporters and executives in the coir sector here, he said coir was the only export item that had maintained a
continuous growth trajectory even in the recent global economic crisis, giving hope that it could scale to new heights in the years to come.

The Board had already submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, making a plea to set up a Coir Mission, he said.

The training programme, intended to develop trade skills and professional competency among participants and equip them to keep pace with emerging global challenges, is being imparted by faculty members of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi, a press release said.

The programme is part of the board's objective to develop an integrated approach among coir manufacturers and exporters towards enriching Export Management Skills to deal with the growing demand and changing tastes of customers in domestic and overseas markets.

A similar training programme is being arranged at Pollachi in Tamil Nadu from June 27.