Anchor India 2014 Anchor India 2014 | Page 268

coir in this area. This district itself is blessed with a mind blowing natural scenic beauty with a lot of lakes, ponds, inter-linked canals. All this environmental blessings expresses that this coir industry is especially meant for the Alleppey people, though they promote tourism also to maximize the exploration of the natural treasures blessed by the God. Presence of coir products can be seen every where with great importance. Coir ropes to coir mattress, various ranges of products are now produced by coir industry. Coir ropes are used in agricultural sector to industrial sector, ranging from different strength to measures, thickness to length. Lot of families in Alleppey earns their livelihood by producing hand made coir. Government gives full support to this sector by helping to form societies and marketing federations etc. Coir mats are made very beautifully and used in houses, vehicles and commercial concerns etc. Various designed door mats are available in the market. Car mats for all types of vehicles are produced at par with the production of new generation vehicles. Coir mattresses are supposed to be the best for health conditions if we sleep in this. Coir net cots were used in Kerala from very ancient period onwards. These mattresses compete even with the latest sponge mattresses in quality and price wise very competent. So many handicraft products are also made by coir. Colorful, attractive antique looking products made of coir attract not only Indians but also tourists from foreign countries. Attraction for coir products also started many years back. Coir products attract export business in its new fashion than from the olden style. Now all the coir products are exported and our country earns a good amount of revenue from this. The traditional values of our state also are connected with every functions and festivals we celebrate. The bio-factor in this industry is very important as the waste has been converted to such an economically valuable product. The pith and dust removed after taking the fibres for coir production are biodegradable and believed to be useless. Now this also is used for mulching, soil treatment and as a hydroponics growth medium. Researches and new