COIR AND WELFARE PROJECT FOR COIR WORKERS

Coir- and Welfare project

For Coir workers

Speedy mechanization of all sections in the industry,aimed at improving the earning capacity of workers on the one side and attracting the uounger generation to the sector on the other, would be given special focus by the state, the coir Board and exporters were necessary. Coir and Health Minister Addor Prakash launched a mini coir spinning machine, brought out by Bangalore based company. The government would consider supplying such machines free of cost to coir workers in the BPL category

 History of coir & coir Development activities

Coir is a natural fibre extracted from the husk of coconut and used in products such as floor mats, doormats, brushes, mattresses etc. Technically coir is the fibrous material found between the hard, internal shell and the outer coat of a  coconut. Other uses of brown coir (made from ripe coconut) are in upholstery padding, sacking and horticulture. White coir is harvested from unripe coconuts, and is used for making finer brushes, string, rope and fishing nets.

Coir fibres are found between the hard, internal shell and the outer coat of a coconut The individual fibre cells are narrow and hollow, with thick walls made of  cellulose. They are pale when immature but later become hardened and yellowed as a layer of lignin is deposited on their walls. Each cell is about 1 millimetre (0.04 in) long and 10 to 20 micrometres (0.0004 to 0.0008 in) in diameterFibres are typically 10 to 30 centimetres (4 to 12 in) long. There are two varieties of coir. Brown coir is harvested from fully ripened coconuts. It is thick, strong and has high abrasion resistance. It is typically used in mats, brushes and sacking. Mature brown coir fibres contain more lignin and less cellulose than fibres such as  flax and cotton and so are stronger but less flexible. White coir fibres are harvested from the coconuts before they are ripe. These fibres are white or light brown in color and are smoother and finer, but also weaker. They are generally spun to make yarn that is used in mats or rope.

The coir fibre is relatively water-proof and is one of the few natural fibres resistant to damage by salt water. Fresh water is used to process brown coir, while sea water and fresh water are both used in the production of white coir  Coconuts are the seed of a species of palm Cocos nucifera  These palms flower on a monthly basis and the fruit takes one year to ripen. A palm tree may have fruit in every stage of maturity. A mature tree can produce 50 to 100 coconuts per year. Coconuts can be harvested from the ground once they have ripened and fallen or they can be harvested while still on the tree. A human climber can harvest approximately 25 trees in a day, while a knife attached to a pole can up the number to 250 trees harvested in a day. Monkeys can also be trained to harvest the coconuts, but this practice is less efficient than other methods. Green coconuts, harvested after about six to twelve months on the plant, contain pliable white fibres. Brown fibre is obtained by harvesting fully mature coconuts when the nutritious layer surrounding the seed is ready to be processed into copra and desiccated coconut. The fibrous layer of the fruit is then separated from the hard shell (manually) by driving the fruit down onto a spike to split it (de-husking). A well seasoned husker can manually separate 2,000 coconuts per day. Machines are now available which crush the whole fruit to give the loose fibres. These machines can process up to 2,000 coconuts per hour.

The fibrous husks are soaked in pits or in nets in a slow moving body of water to swell and soften the fibres. The long bristle fibres are separated from the shorter mattress fibres underneath the skin of the nut, a process known as wet-milling. The mattress fibres are sifted to remove dirt and other rubbish, dried in the sun and packed into bales. Some mattress fibre is allowed to retain more moisture so that it retains its elasticity for twisted fibre production. The coir fibre is elastic enough to twist without breaking and it holds a curl as though permanently waved. Twisting is done by simply making a rope of the hank of fibre and twisting it using a machine or by hand. The longer bristle fibre is washed in clean water and then dried before being tied into bundles or hunks. It may then be cleaned and 'hackled' by steel combs to straighten the fibres and remove any shorter fibre pieces. Coir bristle fibre can also be bleached and dyed to obtain hanks of different colours. The immature husks are suspended in a river or water-filled pit for up to ten months. During this time micro organisms break down the plant tissues surrounding the fibres to loosen them — a process known as retting Segments of the husk are then beaten by hand to separate out the long fibres which are subsequently dried and cleaned. Cleaned fibre is ready for spinning into yarn using a simple one-handed system or a spinning wheel.

Researchers at CSIR’s  National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology NIIST) in Thiruvananthapuram have developed a biological process for the extraction of coir fibre from coconut husk without polluting the environment. The technology uses enzymes to separate the fibres by converting plant compounds into soluble compounds and hence curbs the pollution of water-bodies caused by retting of coconut husks  Brown coir is used in floor mats and doormats,brushes, mattresses, , floor tiles and sacking. A small amount is also made into twine. Pads of curled brown coir fibre, made by needle-felting (a machine technique that mats the fibres together) are shaped and cut to fill mattresses and for use in erosion control on river banks and hillsides. A major proportion of brown coir pads are sprayed with rubber latex which bonds the fibres together (rubberised coir) to be used as upholstery padding for the automobile industry in Europe. The material is also used for  insulation and packaging.  The major use of white coir is in rope manufacture. Mats of woven coir fibre are made from the finer grades of bristle and white fibre using hand or mechanical looms. White coir also used to make fishing nets due to its strong resilience to salt water.  In horticulture, coir is a strongly recommended substitute for  sphagnum moss because it is free of bacteria and fungal spores  , and produces good results without the environmental damage caused by peat mining. Coir is also useful to deter snails from delicate plantings. Coir is also used as a growing media in intensive glasshouse horticulture.

  Coconut coir from Mexico has been found to contain large numbers of colonies of the beneficial fungus Aspergillus terreus which acts as a biological control against plant pathogenic fungi. Coir is an allergen  , as well as the latex and other materials used frequently in the treatment of coir. This should be noted specially for people with allergies using mattresses and other furniture made with coir. Total world coir fibre production is 250,000 tonnes (250,000 long tons; 280,000 short tons). The coir fibre industry is particularly important in some areas of the developing world. India mainly the coastal region of Kerala State, produces 60% of the total world supply of white coir fibre. Sri Lanka produces 36% of the total world brown fibre output. Over 50% of the coir fibre produced annually throughout the world is consumed in the countries of origin, mainly India. Together India and Sri Lanka produce 90% of the 250,000 metric tons of coir produced every year. In the recent past, countries such as Mexico, Indonesia, Vietnam and certain Caribbean countries have started to supply to the global market in large scale. Decompressing the imported coir blocks have presented problems for many commercial growers. Many companies have installed machinery to bust the coir blocks apart in a dry state. Other companies have tried hydrating the coir blocks with water,however coir buster type machines are usually best. Coir buster type machines (US patent number 5,839,674) decompress the coir blocks apart by rubbing them apart in a chamber that keeps the coir blocks (or bricks) tightly compressed together crumbling the material,then sifting through a screen with no fiber damage.

Coir fibres make up about 1/3 of the coconut pulp. The other 2/3 is called the pith or dust, it is biodegradable but takes 20 years to decompose. Once considered as waste material,pith is now being used as mulch, soil treatment and a hydroponic growth medium. Coir is extracted from the tissues surrounding the seed of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), which is grown on 10 million ha of land throughout the tropics. There are two types of coir: brown fibre, which is obtained from mature coconuts, and finer white fibre, which is extracted from immature green coconuts after soaking for up to 10 months.  The coir industry is fully developed only in India and Sri Lanka, but economically important in Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Coconuts are typically grown by small-scale farmers, who use local mills for fibre extraction.Globally, about 500 000 tonnes of coir are produced annually, mainly in India and Sri Lanka. Its total value is estimated at $100 million. India and Sri Lanka are also the main exporters, followed by Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. Around half of the coir produced is exported in the form of raw fibre. Smaller quantities are exported as yarn, and as mats and matting

        The coconut palm, has been eulogised as 'Kalpavriksha' the all giving tree in the classics of India. Its fruit is called Lakshmi Phal which is used in most of the social and religious functions in India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, irrespective of whether the palm is grown locally or not. The use of coconut through out India makes it a symbol of national unity and perhaps in the olden times the people of our country or our ancestors might have migrated from a coconut growing area. It is also possible that coconut had been cultivated in many parts of India and the climatic and geographical changes in due course might have caused the confinement of coconut to coastal tracts in the country.  The first recorded history of coconut in the country dates back to Ramayana period. In the Valmiki Ramayana there are references of coconut in the Kishkindha Kanda and Aranya Kanda. It is reported that Ramayana was written by Valmiki sometimes in 3rd century B.C. Generally it is believed that coconut was introduced in India during the post-vedic period. Coir fibers are found between the husk and the outer shell of a coconut. The individual fiber cells are narrow and hollow, with thick walls made of cellulose. They are pale when immature but later become hardened and yellowed as a layer of lignin is deposited on their walls. There are two varieties of coir. Brown coir is harvested from fully ripened coconuts. It is thick, strong and has high abrasion resistance. It is typically used in mats, brushes and sacking. Mature brown coir fibers contain more lignin and less cellulose than fibers such as flax and cotton and so are stronger but less flexible. They are made up of small threads, each about 1 mm long and 10 to 20 micrometres in diameter.

    White coir fibers are harvested from the coconuts before they are ripe. These fibers are white or light brown in color and are smoother and finer, but also weaker. They are generally spun to make yarn that is used in mats or rope. The coir fiber is relatively water-proof and is one of the few natural fibers resistant to damage by salt water. Fresh water is used to process brown coir, while sea water and fresh water are both used in the production of white coir.  Coconuts are the seed of the palm trees. These palms flower on a monthly basis and the fruit takes 1 year to ripen. A typical palm tree has fruit in every stage of maturity. A mature tree can produce 50–100 coconuts per year. Coconuts can be harvested from the ground once they have ripened and fallen or they can be harvested while still on the tree. A human climber can harvest approximately 25 trees in a day, while a knife attached to a pole can up the number to 250 trees harvested in a day. Monkeys can also be trained to harvest the coconuts, but this practice is less efficient than other methods. Green coconuts, harvested after about six to twelve months on the plant, contain pliable white fibres. Brown fibre is obtained by harvesting fully mature coconuts when the nutritious layer surrounding the seed is ready to be processed into copra and desiccated coconut. The fibrous layer of the fruit is then separated from the hard shell (manually) by driving the fruit down onto a spike to split it (De-husking). A well seasoned husker can manually separate 2,000 coconuts per day. Machines are now available which crush the whole fruit to give the loose fibres. These machines can do up to 2,000 coconuts per hour.

    The fibrous husks are soaked in pits or in nets in a slow moving body of water to swell and soften the fibres. The long bristle fibres are separated from the shorter mattress fibres underneath the skin of the nut, a process known as wet-milling. The mattress fibres are sifted to remove dirt and other rubbish, dried in the sun and packed into bales. Some mattress fibre is allowed to retain more moisture so that it retains its elasticity for 'twisted' fibre production. The coir fibre is elastic enough to twist without breaking and it holds a curl as though permanently waved. Twisting is done by simply making a rope of the hank of fibre and twisting it using a machine or by hand. The longer bristle fibre is washed in clean water and then dried before being tied into bundles or hunks. It may then be cleaned and 'hackled' by steel combs to straighten the fibres and remove any shorter fibre pieces. Coir bristle fibre can also be bleached and dyed to obtain hanks of different colours. The immature husks are suspended in a river or water-filled pit for up to ten months. During this time micro-organisms break down the plant tissues surrounding the fibres to loosen them — a process known as retting. Segments of the husk are then beaten by hand to separate out the long fibres which are subsequently dried and cleaned. Cleaned fibre is ready for spinning into yarn using a simple one-handed system or a spinning wheel.  Total world coir fibre production is 250,000 tonnes. The coir fibre industry is particularly important in some areas of the developing world. India, mainly the coastal region of Kerala State, produces 60% of the total world supply of white coir fibre. Sri Lanka produces 36% of the total world brown fibre output. Over 50% of the coir fibre produced annually throughout the world is consumed in the countries of origin, mainly India. Together India and Sri Lanka produce 90% of the 250,000 metric tons of coir produced every year. In the recent past, countries such as Mexico, Indonesia, Vietnam and certain Caribbean countries have started to supply to the global market in large scale.

    White coir spun into yarn is used in the manufacture of rope Brown coir is used in sacking, brushes, doormats, rugs, mattresses, insulation panels and packaging. In Europe, the automobile industry upholsters cars with pads of brown coir bonded with rubber latex. Among the traditional industries of the state, coir industry has prime significance. It is the biggest employment giver in rural Kerala, engaging around four lakh people. Eighty percent of whom are women. But with proper direction and a growth mechanism, the sector can acquire the potential to generate still larger employment. The industry also earns a foreign exchange of more than Rs. 800 crores per year. Directorate of coir development is the agency for implementing all policy decisions of the Government of Kerala as regards coir industry. The Directorate is the controlling authority of the ten coir project offices at Chirayinkeezhu, Kollam, Kayamkulam, Alappuzha, Vaikom, North Paravur, Thrissur, Ponnani, Kozhikode and Kannur in the state. The State Government has envisaged to introduce a planned and innovative development strategy in the sector. It aims at promoting progressive development of the sector and generating more sustained employment therein. The programme of action of the Directorate is anchored on the concept of functioning as a facilitator for the promotion and sustainability of the coir sector in Kerala’s economy

                                                              Prof. John Kurakar