V. Sasikumar

Sharmila Joshi

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The coir industry, once thriving and the cradle of the communist
movement in Kerala, is on the decline.
 
 The production process has decentralised from the organised sector to
household operations, pushing the coir workers into a marginal existence.  A nexus of bureaucrats, middlemen,
contractors and politicians corner all the benefits, while the coir workers
toil hard in difficult conditions for a pittance.

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Makers of a fraying fibre

رسیاں بنانے والے

Alappuzha

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Makers of a fraying fibre

An ageing workforce, poor wages, decentralisation of production, a lack of state assistance – Gokuldas, a coir-loom worker in Alappuzha, lists these and other reasons that have pushed the industry into decline

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