Spurt in demand for coir pith brings cheer to coir units in Pollachi

Rising demand for coconut pulp has resulted in rising prices of coconut fiber and husk in Pollachi in Coimbatore district.

Pollachi, known for its coconut groves, has over 60 coconut export units and all of them are working at full capacity.

The price of coconut pulp was ₹52 per kg compared to ₹16 per kg in October 2024 and the price of fiber was ₹12 per kg compared to ₹7 last year. As for the peel, farmers used to sell it for ₹50 paisa, now it is ₹3.

S. Mahesh Kumar, president of Coconut Sap Association of India, said that around 100 container loads of sap are exported from Pollachi almost every day.

Due to lack of rainfall and pest attacks affecting coconut farms in Pollachi last year, coconut farmers are seeing a 30% decline in production.

However, this year the rains are good and the demand for coconut fiber and pulp has increased rapidly in the last few months.

“We used to export mainly to the USA and the EU. Now there is a huge demand from China and South American countries. This is due to the increasing trend of growing fruits, especially blue fruits, in grow bags. Coconut pulp is a suitable medium for growing blue fruits,” he said.

In addition to the continuing demand for coconut fiber from China, the increase in demand for coconut fiber pulp has caused prices to rise. “Farmers have benefited greatly from the increase in demand and prices as coconut husk prices have increased manifold,” he said.