COIR PITH SECTION I PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS AND SPECIFICATION SECTION VII BROAD OUTLINE OF MANUFACTURING PROCESS

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1 COIR PITH CONTENTS SECTION I PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS AND SPECIFICATION SECTION II PRODUCT APPLICATIONS SECTION III INDIAN MANUFACTURERS SECTION IV IMPORT/EXPORT LEVEL SECTION V PRICE DETAILS SECTION VI INDIAN DEMAND SECTION VII BROAD OUTLINE OF MANUFACTURING PROCESS SECTION VIII RAW MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS, UTILITY AND AVAILABILITY SECTION IX GLOBAL SCENARIO SECTION X DISCUSSIONS ON ECONOMIC CAPACITY, PROJECT COST AND PROFITABILITY PROJECTIONS SECTION XI SWOT ANALYSIS SECTION XII FACTORS INFLUENCING THE POSITION FOR A NEW INDUSTRY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 1

2 1.1. General details SECTION I PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS AND SPECIFICATION Alternate names Coir Pith Coco Coir Peat Similar sounding brand names Coir Pith is purely a natural organic product and it is biodegradable and ecofriendly. It is a byproduct gained during extraction of Coir fibre from coconut husk. It is free from any admixtured heavy metals. It is a mixture of corky cellular material and short fibers and has both the appearance and feel of peatmoss Properties Porosity 75 percent Water holding capacity 500 percent/5 to 6 wt Nutrient retention capacity Good/ 5 to 6 wt Content Natural rooting hormones P H 5.2 to 6.8, ideal for plant growth/6 to 7 Electrical conductivity Not more than 500 (us/cm)/02. To 1.0 Total Pore Space about 28.2 Organic Carbon (%) 80 % Nitrogen 1.08% Phosphorus 0.19% Calcium 1.92% Magnesium 0.98% C/N ratio 26.1% Micro Nutrients (ppm) Iron 4140 Manganese 160 Zinc 42 Copper 706 2

3 Coir Pith has remarkable capacity to absorb moisture. Its high water holding capacity is equalled to sphagnum peat and the drainage is similar to that of peat. Its qualities include absence of weed and pathogen besides being physically resilient capable of withstanding the compression associated with baling better than peat. Other advantages are that coir pith is natural renewable resource and slow to decompose more slowly than peat. Besides, it has acceptable p H,EC. and CEC and has excellent wettability superior to peat. The characteristics of coir pith indicates Stability of the material for conditioning of the farm and soil For retention of moisture for mulching and As a receptacle for slow release of added nutrients to the crop. 3

4 1.3. Specification of the product Global Coir Pith block 8 to 9 litre briquettes 70 litre bale(5 kilo block) Weight Compression Dimension Breakout after adding water 650 gms -/+ 50gr 5 kgs -/+200 gms 8:1 20 X 10 X 6cm- - /+2mm 8:1 30 X 30 x 12cm - /+2mm Add 4 to 5 litre water = 8.9 litre/briqutte After adding 24 lts of water = 70 to 80 lts Loadability 20 pallatised 2050 X 10 pallets = 20500=13.32 M/tonne 2000 unwrapped bales = 9.45 M/tonne Loadability 20 unpallatised 1800 blocks = 1800 carbons 2500 unwrapped bales = M/tonne Lodability 40 pallatised 2050 X 20 pallets= 41000=26.65 m/tonnes 5120 unwrapped bales = M/tonne Loadability 40 unpallatised blocks = M/tonne /+5% unwrapped bales 1.4. Packaging COIR PITH BLOCKS : 650 Grams Brick upto 5 Kilo Brick 4

5 SECTION II PRODUCT APPLICATIONS 2.1.Salient applications Spongy cellulose organic plant growing medium usable in garden centres, horticulture, nurseries * As a substrate for floriculture and horticuture crops. * As a potting mix. * As a soil conditioner/improver * As a rooting media * For golf courses and nursery poly bags * As a mulch 2.2. Advantages * A Superior Planting Medium * Environmentally Safe * Economical * Organic * Biodegradable * High water holding capacity - i.e. upto 5 times its volume * Provides better aeration and enhances strong and healthy rootgrowth * Resistant to bacterial and fungal growth * Retains and releases nutrients for extended period of time * Uniform texture and consistency * Better yield * Odourless * Environment friendly * Enhances the organic content of the soil if mixed with soil * Free from pathogens, weed seeds and toxins. 5

6 1. INCREASED AIR POROCITY. Coir being fibrous in nature holds many air pockets which helps the crops to root easily and profusely. This increases the surface area of root system thereby facilitating better absorption of nutrients from soil. 2. GOOD WATER RETENTION Absorbs water rapidly and holds it for longer periods preventing desiccation of plants during hotter climates especially in tropical areas. 3. ECO FRIENDLY COMPONENT OF SOIL Coir amended soil combats bacterial and fungal infections. Coir has a plant origin and therefore 100% bio degradable. Periodical release of nutrients from coir helps to keep the soil rich for all seasons. 4. REDUCES IRRIGATION FREQUENCY Irrigation of coir-grown plants may be done at longer intervals as the moisture holding capability of coir is high. 5. Period of use It Can Be Reused For Upto 4 Years Substitutes/Alternatives Peat Potting Soil Rockwool Vermiculite Perlite Pumice Expanded Clay Synthetic Foams 6

7 The recommended dosage of coir pith manure is 12.5 tonne 2.4. Level of use A mixture of 75 percent coirpith and 25 percent soil gives 80 percent more yield. The increase in pore space, water holding capacity and nutrient availability recorded in coirpith amended pots ultimately increased the yield.. Because of heavy leaching, as a result of frequent watering, the potting medium will have poor nutrient status. Hence, it is suggested that 50 percent of the recommended fertiliser may be applied as basal, thoroughly mixed with the potting mediu Potting medium Coir pith block can be used as potting medium. It can be mixed with required fertilizers and nutrients according to the type of plant to be grown. Potted plants require a growing medium in good physical and chemical conditions. Normally, the problems of the potting medium are poor aeration and water and and nutrient retention. It is found that the highest yield of tomato is obtained from pots with 75 percent soil and 25 percent coirpith. It is 65 percent higher than obtained with 100 percent soil as medium. Quality parameters such as ascorbic acid,acidity, soluble sugars, lycepene content are found to be improved by coirpith incorporation Mushroom Coir pith blocks are being used by a lot of mushroom growers around the world for the large scale production edible mushrooms Soil Supplement: Re-hydrated coir block mixed with soil improves water holding capacity and aeration Seed Generation: Coir dust in starter containers speeds up germination and profuse rooting of the seedlings Tissue Culture Wetted coir brick in poly bags encourages initial growth phase of tissue cultured plants and grafted seedlings. 7

8 SECTION III INDIAN MANUFACTURERS There are a number of organisation involved in the production and export of Coir pith in the country. Most of the organisation are located in Tamil Nadu. Kerala and Karnataka. Such organisations include the following * Global International, No. 1, Buddu Street, 3rd Floor, Chennai * Koodath Agro Exports 58, Pantheon Road, II Floor, Egmore CHENNAI * Aswaths Green Coir (P) Ltd Address: 88,Palaghat Road POLLACHI, TAMILNADU, * Q&Q Exports-International 3 / 117, Kumaresapuram Trichy * ATC Products Address: 8/2 silver jubliee road Karnataka (Zip : ) * Prime Fibres 6, Imam Sahib Street, Tirupattur (Vellor Distt.) , India * Sharanya Coirs Private Limited 34, Thiruvengada Nagar, Coimbatore , India * Dynamic Industry 87/88 Nehru Street, Peelamedu, Coimbatore , India * Tamilnad Coir Corporation 120, Rajamill Road, Coimbatore , 8

9 * Coastal Fibres 401,Balaji Towers, Kirlampudi Layout, Visakhapatnam , * Duinkop Enterprises Pvt Ltd SF No 58, Kattampatty Post Jakarpalayam (via) Coimbatore No 14, Angeripalyam Road Tirupur * Kangayam Carbons, Mahalakshmi Apartment College Road, Tirupur Availability Around 6.6 lakh tonnes per annum Only small portion of coir pith is processed and exported Share of production in Tamil Nadu 26% Raw material requirement of coir fibre Extraction of one kg of coir fibre generates two kgs of coir pith. 9

10 SECTION IV IMPORT/EXPORT LEVEL 4.1. Import There is no import of Coir pith 4.2. Export Present Export Level Around 9500 tonnes per annum 10

11 SECTION V PRICE TRENDS Indian price Export price of Coir pith Rs.6.5 per kg Around 120 US$ per tonne 11

12 SECTION VI INDIAN DEMAND Coir pith, generally exported in brick form, has caught on well as a natural soil conditioner and has generated good demand from Australia, the UK and other Western countries. Compost and coir have different chemical and physical characteristics than peat. Supplemental fertilization will require some fine tuning. None of the peat substitutes tested, with the possible exception of coir, are suitable for producing certified nursery material for export. All are produced or stored on the ground, and this is not allowed for export media. The organic materials appear, however, to have good potential for production of nursery stock for local consumption. Coir pith is sourced from various de-fibring units in South India and only low sodium sources of coir is selected to make the blocks. The coir pith is cleaned and sieved before it is briquetted into a 650 gms or a 5 kg block. It is free from weeds and pathogens and are within safe EC and ph standards. Coir pith is free from all soil diseases and it offers high resistance to most of the inherent root diseases. By using coir pith blocks it ensures high oxygen levels for drainage properties. Use of coir pith blocks will bring down seedling development production cycles rapidly.it can be used as substitute for peat moss, for Horticultural purposes and it can also be used for green houses, commercial and domestic gardening. World over more and more growers have started using coir pith blocks in the place of peat moss. Organic manures have been used successfully in enhancing the productivity and yield of various agricultural crops. India is one of the major coconut cultivating countries and the byproduct, coir pith, has gained importance owing to its properties for use as a growth medium in agriculture. 12

13 Industrial prospects of Coir Pith Indian economy is an agriculture based one. About 80 percent of its population is directly or indirectly involved in agriculture and allied fields. Evidence from a number of developing countries shows that very small enterprises in the cottage industries and handicraft sector could contribute more than one-third to the economy. Expansion of these sectors, therefore have importance effects. The coir industry, based on the coconut has potential for development in coconut growing countries of Asia and Africa. At the world level, 90 percent of coir production is concentrated in India and Sri Lanka. The demand for Coir pith is largely export oriented Estimated export demand for Coir pith Growth rate in demand Around 9500 tonnes per annum Around 5 to 6% per annum 13

14 SECTION VII BROAD OUTLIEN OF MANUFACTURING PROCESS Th coir waste left out as residues from factories could be used as organic manure. 100 kg of Coir waste should be spread on the ground in an area of five sq.meters in a shady place; a little water should be sprayed and 200 gm of plurotus:, a fungus variety should be added. Over this layer, another 100 kg of the straw should be spread over which one kg of urea should be sprayed. This cycle should be repeated to complete one tonne of coir waste. Every 15 days, the position should be inverted. The hump should be left to decompose for 45 days to 90 days depending of moisture inside the mound. Hence coirpith could be effectively recycled as component of potting medium to grow vegetables and flower plants. In the process of extraction of coir fibre from husk, generally about 1/3rd of it is obtained as fibre and 2/3rd of it is obtained as coir pith. Coir pith with a range of interesting properties finds various applications. Coir pith has a high lignin (31%) and cellulose (27 %) content and a carbon-nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 104: 1. Coir pith also has a very high water holding capacity of 5 to 6 times its weight. It should be noted that coir pith is very stable because of the presence of high percentage of lignin. Hence coir pith left to itself takes decades to decompose. Studies by various institutions have resulted in methods to speed up the process of decomposition (lignin reduction) by fungal/microbial culture. The decomposing or composting of Coir pith is done near agriculture fields, in heaps generally by the Pleurotus sojarcaju species an edible mushroom, which takes around days. Composted Coir pith is used along with organic supplements in crop fields in horticulture and floriculture. It is also used as a rooting and growing medium for certain ornamental flowering plants. 14

15 Decomposed coir pith is also used as hydroponics systems for growing roses and vegetables under controlled conditions. The coir pith in sterilized condition finds use in mushroom cultivation and floriculture. The coir pith also finds application as an alternative for 'Peat Moss'the extraction of which has been banned in most of the European countries.it also finds application as a mulching material for grape vine. On an average a husk weighs about 300 g, g is obtained as fibre and around 200 g is obtained as coir pith. Further on an average 5000 husks are defibred per day, which yields 1000 kg (1 ton) of Coir pith per day while around 5-6 tons is composted or decomposed in batches for every days depending upon the requirement. As mentioned earlier, out of the rest of coir pith, some quantity is sterilized and dispatched to be used chiefly in floriculture. Composting method If any open space of 5 m x 3m preferably under shade, spread 1000 kg of coir pith uniformly and apply 400 gm of Pith Plus uniformly. Cover this layer with an other layer of coir pith and apply 1 kg of urea. Repeat the process of sandwitching the pith plus and urea with coir pith so that the heap reaches a height of 1 metre. Sprinkle water if the moisture content of the coir pith falls below 200 percent. At the end of 30 days, the coir pith would be turned into black mass of compost having a reduced C:N ratio of 24:1., which is recommended for an ideal organic manure. The composed coir pith has four times higher nitrogen, six times higher phosphorous and 1.5 times higher potassium than in its original form. Upon composting, the mass of coir pith is reduced to 58 percent. The technology used as described above is very simple. Pith plus costs Rs.18 per kg. Two kg of Pith Plus with five kg of urea converts one tonne of coir pith into 580 kg of organic manure. There are already a few units which make organic manure from coir pith and sell it at Rs.700 per tonne. 15

16 Source of technology * Central Coir Research Institute (Ministry of SSI & ARI, Government of India) Kalavoor Alleppey, Kerala P.B No. 1752, M.G. Road Cochin-16 Plant and machinery equipment Autoclave, Incubator Chemitherm Plants & Systems P. Ltd., 30, Anandha Street Alwarpet, Chennai Texel Fabricators Pvt. Ltd., 335, Sidco Industrial Estate, Ambattur, Chennai , Tamil Nadu 16

17 SECTION VIII RAW MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS, UTILITY AND AVAILABILITY Utility requirement per tonne Power 215 units Raw coir pith Raw Coirpith which had all along been considered a waste and dumped in he roadsides for want of space in coir industries. It is found to be fairly rich in plant nutrients and also adds considerable quantity of organic matter to the soil. In India 0.66 million tonnes of pith is available from 4.8 million tonnes of husk annually. Much of the coir pith is washed in the backwaters during the fibre extraction process. 17

18 SECTION IX GLOBAL SCENARIO Production level in Sri Lanka Production in countries such as Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia Around 1.85 lakh tonnes per annum A round 15,000 tonnes per annum each Contact organisation In Sri Lanka Ceylon Coir Fibre Exporters Association c/o Volanka Exports Ltd 193 Minuwangoda Road Kotugoda Sri Lanka Tel: Fax: volanka@sri.lanka.net 18

19 SECTION X DISCUSSIONS ON ECONOMIC CAPACITY, PROJECT COST AND PROFITABILITY PROJECTIONS Economic capacity : 360 tonnes Project cost : Rs.24 lakhs Assessment of project cost 1. Land S.No. Description Cost Rs.in lakhs 1.1 Cost of land of 0.25 acre at Rs.5.5 lakh per acre Cost of levelling, laying internal roads/fencing and 0.14 compound wall Subtotal Building S.No. Description Cost Rs.in lakhs 2.1 Factory building of area 125 sq.m. at Rs.3200/sq.m Non-factory building of area sq.m.at Rs.4500/sq.m. - Subtotal Cost of Plant & Machinery S.No. Description Cost Rs.in lakhs 3.1 Cost of basic plant and machinery Instrumentation and control Pipelines and valves Structurals for erection 0.35 Subtotal Octroi, excise duty, sales tax, etc.at 12% Packaging and insurance charges (2%) Transportation charges (2%) Machinery stores and spares (2%) Foundation charges (2%) Installation charges (2%) 0.17 Total cost of plant and Machinery

20 4. Technical know-how fees Miscellaneous fixed assets S.No. Description Cost Rs.in lakhs 5.1. Electrification Steam boiler and auxillaries Water storage tank, borewell etc Fuel storage tank Laboratory equipment Office machinery & equipment Material handling equipment, packaging machinery, 0.40 weigh balance, etc Diesel generator Effluent treatment - Total Preliminary & Pre-operative expenses: S.No. Description Cost Rs.in lakhs 6.1. Preliminary expenses Pre-operative expenses: Establishment Rent rates and taxes Travelling expenses Interest and commitment charges on borrowings Insurance during construction period Other preoperative expenses and deposits Interest on deferred payment - Total Provision for contingency Rs.1.16 lakhs 8. Working capital margin Rs.1.55 lakhs 9. Total project cost Rs.24 lakhs 10. Means of finance (Rs. in lakhs) Promoter's contribution 10 Term loan from financing institutions 14 Total project cost 24 20

21 11. Financial statements Cost of production A Variable cost Rs. in lakhs Raw material and utilities 4.39 Spares and maintenance 0.63 Selling expenses 1.17 Total variable cost (A) 6.19 B Fixed cost Salaries and wages 4.20 Interest on term loan and working capital loan 2.77 Depreciation 1.43 Administrative expenses 0.70 Total fixed cost (B) 9.10 C. Total cost of production (A+B) D. Selling price per kg. (in Rupees) 6.5 E. Annual sales turnover F. Net profit before tax (E-C) 8.11 G. Breakeven point in % 53 21

22 SECTION XI SWOT ANALYSIS Strength Weakness Opportunity Threat Adequate availability of raw material Lack of technology updating Export Intense local competition 22

23 SECTION XII FACTORS INFLUENCING THE POSITION FOR NEW INDUSTRY AND RECOMMENDATIONS In view of the increasing distaste for synthetic fertiliser, coir pith is becoming popular all over the world, since it is considered as the eco friendly agricultural input. India has specific advatnages with regard to coir pith, since the raw material is readily available in the country and there is excellent export prospects. Before setting up the Coir pith unit, the project promoter should understand the export market carefully and workout the strategies adequately well. 23

24 24

J.S.Amarnath 1 and M. Brindha 2 1 Professor and 2 Post-graduate Student,

J.S.Amarnath 1 and M. Brindha 2 1 Professor and 2 Post-graduate Student, An Investment and Export Analysis of Coir Enterprise in Tamil Nadu, India I. INTRODUCTION India is the largest coir producer in the world accounting for more than 80 per cent of the total world production