The Minister of State for MSME, reviewed R&D activities of CICT, Regional office & Show room in Bengaluru
COIR and by-products research to be enhanced: Hon. MoS MSME
Union Minister of State for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Sushri Shobha Karandlaje reviewed the Research and Development activities of Central Institute of Coir Technology – COIR Board at Bengaluru today.
The meeting was held with Shri Vipul Goel, Joint Secretary (ARI) & Chairman, Coir Board, and Shri Arun G, Secretary, Coir Board, Dr. O.L. Shanmugasundaram, Joint Director (Tech.), CICT and other Coir board officials.
Sushri Shobha Karandlaje highlighted that only 30% of the coconut husk generated in India is being effectively utilized and emphasized the urgent need to enhance the value-addition to the coir sector and the growing domestic demand for coco peat (coco pith). The minister also stressed, the importance of developing new application in horticulture and other potential areas.
The Minister expressed strong interest in the emerging opportunities for carbon extraction from coir fiber, especially its potential role in environmental sustainability and carbon credits. The Minister advised that training programmes should be modular, covering coconut-based, carbon/charcoal extraction, and coir wood panel production—aligned with industry-specific demands.
The Minister further advised CICT and Coir Board to actively collaborate with national level technical institutions such as ICAR, CPCRI, IIHR, Coconut Development Board, NHAI, and state-level export units, with the aim of creating scalable, high-value coir-based products. The Minister reiterated that the technologies developed by Coir Board should be systematically transferred to the farmers, entrepreneurs, and cooperatives through a phased, sector-specific approach, ensuring wider outreach and effective adoption at the grassroots level.
During the occasion, the Minister planted a sapling in the premises of Coir Board. She also distributed certificates to the students who successfully completed the training in the board.
The Minister also visited the workshop, display center and Coir Wood house, where she reviewed the product range, and emphasized the importance of urban visibility for artisan-made, eco-friendly coir products. The Minister also witnessed a live demonstration of the coir mold manufacturing process and fiber extraction machine. She appreciated the potential of coir wood in replacing conventional materials and urged the institute to speed up commercialization efforts in partnership with the MSME furniture clusters.
During the visit, she inspected the newly constructed ECO Lab and instructed officials to immediately operationalize the lab for ECO mark certification, coir composite testing and commence services for startups, MSMEs, and artisan units, strengthening quality assurance in the sector.
