Make export-oriented coir industry competitive: Chairman

Make export-oriented coir industry competitive: Chairman

PTI

Tuesday, August 04th, 2009 AT 1:08 PM

 

KOCHI: Coir Board Chairman V S Vijayaraghavan has called upon the export-oriented coir industry to make use of the financial and technological support being extended by the Union Ministry of MSME to remain competitive in the global market.

He was speaking after inaugurating the third Business Development Services (BDS) training programme of Alappuzha Coir cluster here.

The World Bank DFID aided four-year project, 2007-11, being implemented by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) was aimed at enhancing the competitiveness and business development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) of the industry in areas including management, development, training, domestic marketing and ISO certification, he said.

The BDS project implemented by Cluster Pulse, a non-profit NGO, has so far conducted 50 awareness seminars and workshops for MSMEs on ISO certification, e-marketing, export management development and Intellectual Property Rights.

Utilise Central aid, coir industry told in BDS program

Utilise Central aid, coir industry told

Express News Service

First Published : 04 Aug 2009 02:05:00 AM IST

Last Updated : 04 Aug 2009 11:24:34 AM IST

 

ALAPPUZHA: COIR Board chairman and ex-MP V S Vijayaraghavan has called upon the exportoriented coir industry to make use of the financial and technological support being extended to them by the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (MSME) to remain competitive in the global market.

He was inaugurating the third Business Development Services (BDS) training programme of the Alappuzha Coir Cluster here on Monday. "World Bank-DFID aided four-year project(2007-2011) being implemented by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) was aimed at enhancing the competitiveness and business development of the Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (MSMEs) in areas like management development training, domestic marketing and ISO certification," he said.

He promised all support of the board for technology upgrading and product diversification of the labour intensive coir industry for market expansion, both in domestic and overseas sectors, as well as for employment generation.

The three-year-old BDS project implemented by Cluster Pulse, a non-profit NGO, has so far provided 50 awareness seminars and workshops for MSMEs in ISO certification, e-marketing, export management development and Intellectual Property Rights besides extending short term courses on computer education and management development for small scale societies jointly with the Alleppey Coir Cluster Development Society (ACCDS).

Its activities also include generating greater awareness and stimulating demand for natural fibre during the International Year of Natural Fibre- 2009. It has worked in 78 clusters spread over various countries like India, South Africa, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada, USA and UK in association with global funding agencies like the World Bank, UNIDO, USAID and ILO.

Cluster Pulse general manager Mignesh Parekh spoke on the scope and opportunities as a BDS provider. The training programme, attended by 36 BDS providers, also included brainstorming on Coir Domestic marketing, and business audit and group discussion on various topics.