Alappuzha: The five-day Coir Kerala 2017 expo on coir products, machines and technologies ended on Monday after offering the moribund sector a fresh life line. Deals worth over Rs 370 crore for the sale of products, technology and machines were closed during the expo, officials said. Products in home and business decor as well as industrial and construction applications were showcased in about 170 stalls in the national pavilion and about 50 stalls in the international pavilion.
The star of the expo was coir geotextiles which has found favour with buyers from several sectors, including construction. The local self-governments in Kerala signed a memorandum of understanding for buying coir geotextiles worth Rs 120 crore which will be used for road laying and for soil conservation. Deals worth over '250 crore were closed during the buyer-seller meets held during the first three days of the expo. More than 150 buyers from over 40 countries attended the expo.
Apart from traditional mats and matting products, a new range of products including coir floor tiles, home furnishing materials, flower pots and grow bags attracted visitors who flocked in their thousands in the last two days of the expo which were opened to the public. Seminars on reinventing the sector also threw up a lot of ideas which minister for coir T.M. Thomas Isaac said the government will pursue seriously.
“The government is planning to set up extensive marketing network to promote coir products across the country,” he said. “We aim at selling coir products in every district of the country.” Administrative reforms commission chairman V.S. Achuthanandan who inaugurated the valedictory session said the local self governments in all states should follow the Kerala example and promote coir products.
