S.Sundaresan, President, All India Coir Mattress Manufacturers' Association

Presently the Rubberised Coir Industry is facing several hardships as compared to the same time last year. Firstly the price of basic raw material Latex rubber has shot up tremendously that many of the small scale units or under the pressure of closure. We appeal to Hon'ble Finance Minister to arrange for supply of Latex Rubber at a concessional rate with a quota system for the SSI units. We consume only three percent of the annual production which is around 9 Lakhs Tons. Further the Coir Board had initiated several years ago Eco-Mark Labelling scheme to encourage our Industry which is yet to take off. We appeal to Govt. of India for immediate commencing of this scheme. Further we also request for increased export incentives for coir based products which will help several thousands of families producing coir fibre and allied items. The coir industry which is agro-based and making eco-friendly traditiional products is almost on the verge of sinking. Hence immediate help from Govt. of India would be of immense benefit for the near survival of coir industry.