KG Kumar

For a sector that is second to agriculture as a source of employment in Kerala, especially for the State’s women, coir manufacturing certainly needs a fillip from the government.

As the Onam season of joy and festivity begins to envelop Kerala in a sheen of colour and pomp, there are some sections of the State’s society that will not be as cheerful as the rest. These are those who have yet to avail themselves of the benefits of the social development that Kerala is renowned for. Prominent among these sections are tribals and fishermen. Add to them women in the coir industry. A recent survey by the Kochi-based Centre for Socioeconomic and Environmental Studies (CSES) reveals that for over 1.5 lakh coir workers, particularly the women among them, working conditions are harsh and severe. The survey, initiated by the State Directorate of Coir Development, polled 1,59,986 workers of units in the co-operative and household sectors and manufacturing units in Alappuzha, Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod. The survey focused mainly on workers of units engaged in manufacture of coir fibre and yarn.

The history of coir and its association with Kerala dates to the 19th century. The coir manufacturing industry producing coir mats, matting and other floor coverings, was started in India on a factory basis, over a hundred years ago when the first factory was set up in Alleppey in 1859 by James Darragh, an adventurous Irish American national. Since then, Alleppey (Alappuzha) has continued to be the capital of India’s coir industry. The industry is second to agriculture as a source of employment in Kerala, providing jobs to 3.83 lakh persons, of whom 3.25 lakh, or around 84 per cent, are women. With 10.05 lakh hectares under cultivation, coconut palms account for 45 per cent of the net cropped area in Kerala.

The CSES survey found that women made up 82 per cent of the workforce, and were employed principally in spinning, pre-loom activities and extraction of fibre. The end products of the coir manufacturing industry are mats, matting, rubberised coir products, mattresses, pillows, cushions, geo-textiles, pith, rugs and carpets.

Mr N. Ajithkumar of CSES, who led the survey team, was quoted as saying, “A mere 12 per cent of women working in the sector earn more than Rs 50 a day. And overall, women earn less than half of what their male counterparts earn. On the other hand, 58 per cent of the male workers earn more than Rs 50 a day.”

Eighty-five per cent of workers in Kerala’s coir sector are in household units, according to the survey. During the monsoon season, no work is done due to the wet climate. The implication for the workers who depend on coir-related activities to earn a livelihood are stark: When it rains, you and your children starve. The survey found that the monsoon period is when 44 per cent of coir workers reported outstanding loans, as most of the units worked for fewer than 200 days a year. The other perennial problems isolated by the survey are poor demand, low prices for end products, high prices of raw materials, lack of skilled personnel and occupational health issues.

For a sector that is second to agriculture as a source of employment in Kerala, especially for the State’s women, coir manufacturing certainly needs a fillip from the government. That boost can come in the form of subsidies, guaranteed employment or more professional marketing infrastructure. In any case, as a traditional industry, coir deserves a second look.

The writer can be contacted at kgkumar@gmail.com

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu Business Line