Following rain, workers from Sivakasi, Dindigul and Tirunelveli left for their native places to take up farming activities, quitting their jobs at coir units.
With textile industry doing well, many literate workers preferring lean jobs, switch to spinning mills and knitwear units in Tirupur, says R P Ramesh of Kannan Coir Products.
Many fibre extraction units are forced to run just one shift, and 20 to 30 percent of curling machinery remain idle as unpleasant processing method keeps youngsters off coir units.
Daily wage ranges between Rs50 and Rs100, he said.
Coir products exporter, C M Hariraj of Coir-on, said there is no substantial direct export with value addition moreover there have been no major changes in machinery for years.
Technology upgradation has not taken place for decades as no major engineering manufacturer has shown interest and huge investment on automation is not possible in cottage industry, he said.
The Government should come forward to offer financial assistance at lower interest rate for upgradation of coir industry.
The industry is on the move and has the capacity to expand in future.
Gauge conversion between Pollachi and Palakkad, Coimbatore, Pollachi and southern districts once completed will boost exports.
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