Value Chain Management of Coir Pith Blocks: A Study with Special Reference to the Coir Board

The project on ‘Value Chain Management of Coir Pith: A study with special reference to the Coir Board’ aims to identify and map the value chain of coir pith blocks, analyse the role of Coir Board in the chain, point out the constraints faced by the different actors and suggest possible solutions. The study includes Coir Board, Central Coir Research Institute (CCRI), coconut farmers, procuring agents, processing units, aggregators, dealers, Coir Board showrooms and consumers. The actors are spread over both Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The study was based on primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected through structured interview schedule, questionnaires, checklist and discussions with the actors. The tools used for the study are value chain mapping, growth index and percentage analysis.

The study identified that the margin earned by the aggregators and dealers is very high, which makes the product costly. The people are not aware of the product as the product is available only in limited retail outlets. Thus, the demand for coir pith blocks is less in the domestic market. The problems encountered by each actor were analysed and some policy interventions were also recommended. While analysing the role of Coir Board in the value chain management of coir pith blocks, it indirectly provides assistance to the actors. The Coir Board has to take more measures to directly support the actors in the industry and make the value chain more effective.