KOCHI: The Coir Board is planning to consolidate its presence in South Africa by targeting the growing market for coir products in the African nation, which is pegged at 1055.53 tonnes.
A release said that the three-day India Show held at Johannesburg from August 30 had showed positive results with more trade enquires for coir products.
“Coir geo-textiles and coir pith are likely to be the major items among other products slated to pick up substantially in exports in the coming years. This projection is based on the fact that South Africa is presently using large quantities of jute geo-textile imported from Bangladesh for soil erosion control and this could be substituted with comparatively more durable coir geo-textile,” the release said.The present South African market for coir products is estimated at 1055.53 tonnes, valued `426.56 crore.
Organised jointly by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Confederation of Indian Industry, the India Show held at MTN Expo Centre, NASREC, Johannesburg, was inaugurated by South African President Jacob Zuma.
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma also attended the inaugural function.
The Coir Board was represented by its chairman V S Vijayaraghavan at the show.