- Why in news
- On 14 October 2026, the Ministry of MSME released a note on India's coir sector. It gave export, employment and Coir Vikas Yojana figures for the last 12 years.
- What it is
- Coir is a natural fibre from the tough outer husk of coconuts. The coir sector is one of India's oldest traditional industries, turning husk fibre into mats, ropes, mattresses and pith products. It is a labour-intensive, rural, women-heavy industry, supported by the Ministry of MSME through the Coir Board and the Coir Vikas Yojana.
- World position
- India is the largest producer and exporter of coir, with about two-thirds of global production.
- Coir Vikas Yojana
- CVY is a central sector scheme run by the Ministry of MSME to develop the coir sector and support artisans.
- Exports
- Exports rose from ₹1,630.33 crore in 2014-15 to ₹6,614.40 crore in 2025-26, a rise of 305.70%.
- Export markets
- Major destinations are the US, China, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. Major exports are coir pith, fibre, yarn and tufted mats.
- Employment
- The sector has over 21,000 units and gives direct and indirect jobs to over 7 lakh workers, 80% of them rural women.
- Coir Board
- The Coir Board is a statutory body set up under the Coir Industry Act, 1953. It is headquartered at Kochi.
Don’t confuse with Coir Vikas Yojana vs PMEGP: CVY is the coir-specific scheme for technology, training and market promotion. PMEGP is a general credit-linked subsidy scheme for new micro enterprises, which coir entrepreneurs also use.
Economy terms and data: 42 Prelims questions since 2013, rising in recent years; they test what a term or instrument means. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.
Why it matters
- Coir is a labour-intensive rural industry that gives jobs to women and earns export revenue.
- It uses coconut husk productively and offers eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic products.
Problems
- Many units are small and traditional, with low mechanisation and uneven quality.
- Exports depend on a few markets and on raw husk supply in coconut-growing states.
Way forward
- Promote technology upgrades, value-added products and new uses such as coir pith bio-fertiliser.
- Widen export markets and strengthen skill training and formal MSME registration.
Put in your answer
Export growth: Coir exports grew 305.70% between 2014-15 and 2025-26.
Women's employment: About 80% of the 7 lakh workers in the coir sector are rural women.
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UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting sector topic with numbers, but a routine feature release. UPSC economy questions favour terms and schemes, not sector profiles.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.