From Coconut Husk to Enterprise: How Coir is transforming Rural lives

The Press Information Bureau release highlights the transformation of India's coir sector into a catalyst for rural entrepreneurship, women's empowerment, and sustainable livelihoods through value addition and government support schemes like the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) and the Coir Vikas Yojana. India is noted as the world's largest producer of coir, accounting for over 80 percent of global production, with women comprising nearly 80 percent of the workforce in fibre extraction and spinning. Case studies from Andhra Pradesh and Kerala illustrate how entrepreneurs are converting coconut waste into diverse products such as handicrafts, doormats, and coir pith bio-fertilizers with technical backing from the Coir Board and institutions like the Central Coir Research Institute.