What sits in this sub-category
- Coir pith (coco peat), growbags & chips (horticulture substrates). Largest export item by value for India in FY24.
- Coir fibre & yarn (bristle/mattress fibre, curled fibre, ropes, twines).
- Mats/mattings/rugs (including vinyl-/rubber-backed coir door mats).
- Coir geotextiles (erosion control blankets, open-weave nets).
- Rubberized coir sheets/mattresses & allied boards (Indian BIS-standardized).
Exports
- FY2023-24: India exported US$ 410.25 million of coir & coir products (quantity 1.232 million tonnes). Composition by value: Coir pith 54.09%, tufted mats 17.50%, coir fibre 14.23%. Top importers: USA (largest by value), China (largest by quantity), Netherlands, UK, Spain, South Korea, Australia. Source: IBEF quoting DGCIS and Coir Board.
- Trend (5 yrs): Coir Board’s “Export of Coir & Coir Products—last 5 years (2020-21 to 2024-25)” gives the official year-wise quantity/value series.
- FY2024-25 (provisional dashboard): MSME/Coir Board dashboard shows ₹4,343.45 crore cumulative exports for FY25 (rolling figure; updates periodically).
Why India dominates: In 2023, India was the #1 exporter of “Coconut & other vegetable fibres” globally; along with Sri Lanka, India accounts for ~90% of world coir fibre production.
HS codes
- Coir pith (coco peat & value-added forms like briquettes/coins/growbags): HS 5305.0040.
- Coir fibre (bristle/mattress/curled): HS 5305 (e.g., 5305.0010/30).
- Coir yarn: HS 5308.1010/20/90.
- Coir mats/mattings/rugs: HS 5702.20 (floor coverings of coconut fibres; tufted variants under 5703).
Quality & compliance
Horticulture substrates (coco peat / pith, chips, growbags)
- Parameters buyers specify: pH, EC (salinity), water uptake/air content, nutrients, cleanliness (pest/pathogen/weed-seed free). The Dutch RHP quality mark is the global benchmark for substrate quality control across these parameters.
- India/BIS product spec: IS 17739:2022 (Raw Coir Pith—Specifications) defines Indian requirements at raw-material stage.
- Plant health (imports): Many markets require phytosanitary certificates for plant-based growing media. The EU Plant Health Law and the Netherlands NVWA guidance cover coco peat/growing media attached to plants and, depending on the case, the medium itself. Check with the importer’s NPPO; EU examples provided.
Floor coverings (coir mats/mattings)
- Classification & GST references confirm coir floor coverings under HS 5702.20; used for tariff and domestic tax mapping.
Geotechnical uses (coir geotextiles)
- Standards & design guides (India):
Rubberized coir sheets/mattresses
- BIS product standards: IS 8391 (Parts 1 & 2) for rubberized coir sheets (curled/needle-felt); IS 13489 for bed mattresses.
What makes Indian coir competitive
- Material advantage: Coir has very high lignin content (≈30–46%), giving salt-water & microbial resistance and durability—ideal for ropes, mats and longer-lasting geotextiles versus other natural fibres. FAO and peer-reviewed sources document these properties.
- Environmental fit: FAO notes coir geotextiles retain moisture, protect topsoil, and support vegetation, typically providing soil support for up to ~3 years—a sweet spot for temporary erosion control.
- Regional clusters & know-how:
- Alappuzha (Kerala) is the “nerve centre” of traditional coir mats/mattings.
- Pollachi (Tamil Nadu) is a major pith/growbag & fibre processing hub; the Coir Board-recognized cluster operates here, and a new testing & training lab has been announced in Pollachi (Jul 2025).
- Kerala contributes ~85% of coir product output; the industry engages ~0.55 million workers.
- Alappuzha (Kerala) is the “nerve centre” of traditional coir mats/mattings.
Quick buyer spec sheets
A) Coco peat blocks / chips / growbags
- Docs: Invoice + pack list; HS 5305.0040; origin; phytosanitary (where required); if applicable RHP/other quality mark.
- Quality items to fix in PO/spec: sieve grade (dust %, chip ratio), moisture %, pH & EC test method, expansion, and washing/buffering protocol (Ca/Mg where specified); pathogen/weed-seed declaration per importer norms; palletization & film wrap. (Parameters per RHP framework.)
B) Coir fibre / yarn
- Docs/HS: HS 5305 (fibre) / 5308.10 (coir yarn).
- Quality: grade (bristle/mattress/curled), length & impurity %, moisture %, bale weight; twine yarn ply/TPM for ropes.
C) Coir mats/mattings
- Docs/HS: HS 5702.20 (woven coir floor coverings; tufted under 5703).
- Quality: pile height/weight, backing type (vinyl/rubber/latex/canvas), colourfastness (if printed), dimensional stability and slip tests as per buyer market.
D) Coir geotextiles
- Docs/standards to cite: IS 15871/15872, project design notes; where relevant, IRC/PMGSY references; roll labels with GSM, tensile, aperture/mesh, and biodegradation notes.
India-specific certifications & institutional support
- BIS standards consolidated by Coir Board (product-wise index on its BIS page).
- RHP (Netherlands) is frequently required by EU substrate buyers; it covers pH/EC, nutrients, water/air content & cleanliness.
- EU plant health regime governs imports of plants/plant products/growing media; NVWA gives commodity-level guidance for the Netherlands (a key hub for substrates).
Where the demand is
- Coco peat/pith & growbags → EU (notably Netherlands), UK, USA, Spain, South Korea, Australia; India holds the top share by value/volume.
- Coir fibre (raw) → China (major buyer for mattress/brush industries).
- Mats/mattings → USA/UK/EU home & contract channels.
Why pick India for coir
- Scale + raw material: world’s largest exporter of coconut/vegetable fibres; dense coconut belt (Kerala/TN/Andhra).
- Standards & acceptance: mature BIS suite (pith/fibre/rubberized sheets) and IRC-adopted coir geo solutions for Indian roads—evidence of engineering acceptance.
- Substrate know-how: clusters geared to RHP-style QC (washing/buffering, graded chips) serving EU/US hothouse markets via Rotterdam, etc.
