Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will inaugurate Coir Kerala 2016, the sixth edition of the annual trade event on coir and natural fibres, at EMS stadium in Alappuzha on February 1.

The five-day fair will be launched at 5 p.m. on Monday.

Over 150 international buyers from 54 countries in addition to domestic buyers will participate in the event. The foreign participants include those from African and Latin American nations.

The international pavilion will have 125 stalls while the national pavilion will feature 135 stalls. The event’s buyer-seller meet will be inaugurated by Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P.J. Kurian on February 3. Union Minister for MSME Kalraj Mishra will deliver the inaugural address at a national seminar on February 4.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala will preside over the valedictory function on February 5.

Minister for Revenue and Coir Adoor Prakash said here on Sunday that the government had decided to accelerate coir husk procurement. Production of husk rose from 25,000 tonnes to 60,000 tonnes.

The government is targeting 75,000 tonnes by the end of the current fiscal year.

The Union government has provided Rs.2 crore to the Coir Kerala 2016 corpus.

source:  http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Kerala / by Special Correspondent / February 01st, 2016