Coir Board takes part in US show

KOCHI: The Kochi-based National Coir Board is on its way to explore overseas markets. In a bid to expand its business base and adopt new methods, it is participating in the National Hardware Show being held in Las Vegas.It is a forum to exchange and showcase ideas and products for individual producers, producers associations and establishments. Approximately 40 representatives are taking part in the Las Vegas Hardware Show under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s India Trade Promotion Organisation.From the field of coir, about nine Indian exporters are participating in the show.Coir Board Chairman G Balachandran is leading a team from India representing the coir industry.United States is the largest importer of Indian coir, contributing as much as 27 per cent of the total international trade. The maximum demand, among coir products, is for mats, rugs, coir geotextiles and coir pith. The show is a platform for over 27,000 experts from across the world to get together and exchange ideas. The coir board stated that it hopes to expand and strengthen its base through the show.It is also an opportunity to tie up with businesspersons from across the world involved in the coir industry, multinational exporters and big business chains. The handloom segment forms the largest share among the coir exported to the United States.As such, an increase in the international business will have a direct effect on the coir handloom industry, said the Chairman of the Coir Board.