Coir industry in Kerala

Coir Ropes

Coir industry is the most important employment generators among traditional industries in the state employing around 4 lakhs of which over 80% are women. Besides it earns foreign exchange of over 500 crores per year with a potential for phenomenal growth.

The banks of the backwaters in Kerala provide excellent natural facilities for the retting and defibering processes and for transportation of the fiber at very low costs. Besides, labour, an important determinant of cost production, is also available in plenty throughout the rural sector of Kerala. Since backwaters are spread over the entire length of Kerala, the retting, defibering and even the spinning processes are dispersed widely.

The Anjengo area extends from Mayyanad over Quilon to Thiruvallom, South of Trivandrum, for a length of about 50 miles. The regular flow of fresh water of the rivers into the backwaters in this area, gives the fibre a cleanliness and lustre not obtained in other areas and accounts for the fame Anjengo yarn has earned. The main centres of production of the Anjengo variety of coir yarn are Paravoor, Nedunganda, Vakkom, Kadakavoor, Chirayinkil, Anjengo, Perumathura, Azhur, Kaniyapuram, Murukkumpuzha and Panathara.
The Ashtamudy yarn, which is thick and shining and used mostly for rope making is produced in the areas on the banks of the Ashtamudy Lake and the adjoining places. The main areas of production are Kallada, Munroe Island and Perumon. An inferior variety of yarn known as mannu Mangadan is produced in Mangad, Asramam, Perinad, Prakkulam, Chavara South, Thevalakkara, Kozhivila and Neendakara, in and around Chavara.

The Kayamkulam lake provides facilities for yarn processing in places like Alumkadavu, Cheriyazheekal. Mattukulangara and Alappattuthura. The Aratory yarn is another variety produced in Arattupuzha, Mahadevicadu, Mangalam, Karuvatta, Chingoli and Muthukulam.
On the banks of the Vembanad lake are produced mainly the Vycome variety of yarn. The superior variety of Vycome yarn is known as the Aroor special and the inferior variety, as the beach yarn. 'Aroor Special' is made in Aroor, Edacochi and Kumbalangi and the inferior variety in Shertallai and Ambalapuzha. Beach yarn making is a part time business and this type of yarn is made out of husks retted for only a few days, at the most a month, in ponds and tanks. Still another variety produced in places alongside the Vembanad Lake is the M. K. yarn.

In the Trichur district, on the banks of the Cranganore lake, the 'Parur Vannan' yarn is produced, the main centres of production being Veerakkavu. Chittattukarai, Pattanam, Kottapuram, Cranganore, Cherai and Njarakkal.

In South Travancore, on the sides of the Manakkudi lake, a kind of thick yarn called Muppiri is produced by the help of spinning wheels chiefly in the areas of Manavalakkurichi and Ethamoli in the Kanyakumari district of Madras State. It is also produced in Thiruvallom on the sides of the Vellayani lake in the Neyyattinkara taluk.

In the Kandassankadavu and Manaloor areas, another variety of yarn called Rope yarn is produced. This rope yarn which is hand-spun is manufactured in Maradu, Chittur and Elamkunnapuzha in the Cochin districts.

Success of Darragh brought many other Europeans in to Alleppey and industrial heavy weights of the time, including, Pierce Lesley & Co, William Goodacare & Sons, Madura Co., Coir Yarn Textiles, Bombay Co., Volkart Brothers, Aspinwall & Co moved in to tap the potential offered by the golden fibre, Alleppey was soon a house hold name all over Europe. The royal family of Holland formed the Royal United Carpet Factory at Aroor and the royal family of Travancore became the major shareholders in the Aspinwall & Co., which employed large number of workers.

Native entrepreneurs were not far behind and large number of Indian firm also took shape. Alleppey Co., C. George Peter & Sons, Pitchu Iyer & Sons, Coir Floor Furnishing Co., Empire Coir Works, Commercial Emporium, Charankattu Coir Mfg. Co, Travancore Mats & Matting Co., Devaswomchira Coir Fabrics, Kochu Pillai & Sons, Koncherry Coir Factories were a few of the large establishment of native origin established then. This was perhaps what established the industry so firmly in India and particularly, in Kerala, even though coconut production was significantly high in several other countries like Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.