Industrial Technology Institute » Pilot Facility for Efficient Coir Processing and Quality Control

Pilot Facility for Efficient Coir Processing and Quality Control

Posted on 2009.11.15

Dunkannawa

The Pilot Facility for Efficient Coir Processing and Quality Control is an outcome of a joint proposal submitted to the Common Fund for Commodities by the Coir Council International and the Coconut Development Authority in 2003. The project focused on establishment of a small capacity test/ demonstration coir mill aimed at improving small scale processing of coconut husks, including quality control practices, on a pilot basis implemented in Sri Lanka. It is an output- focused, simple, manageable and relatively low cost project. The Institutions involved in this project are the Common Fund for Commodities, FAO-Intergovernmental group on Hard Fibres (FIGHF), the Industrial Technology Institute, Colombo as the Project Executing Agency and Coconut Development Authority, Colombo, Coconut Research Institute, Lunuwila, Sri Lanka and the Coir Council International, Colombo as the collaborating institutions. The project commenced in October 2005 and was expected to end on 31st December 2008.

Objectives:
The main objective of the project is to contribute to securing the sustainability of the small scale coir extraction industry through the setting up of a fully operational test/ demonstration coir processing mill, which will be maintained after the project as an operational training centre for the coir sector

Key areas of attention were:

Establishment of Technological and Socio-economic baseline data
Characterization study and development of standards to be used for quality control practices
Set up a pilot facility to undertake operational research and development for improved fibre extraction techniques
demonstrating optimum processing practices that could be adopted by the small-scale fibre processing units
improved energy efficiency and working conditions and production environment currently prevailing in coir mills,
achieving effective dissemination of the obtained results to national and international audiences in both industry and research.

Benefits derived from the project:

Deriving operating conditions to increase productivity and product quality and disseminating the findings through training programs.
Preparing a standard for coir fibre and getting published by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (No. 115 Part 1 ,2009).
Establish a coir research, development and training centre with full scale processing machinery and laboratory facilities.
Improved working conditions, energy efficiencies and environmental benefits.
Improve socio-economic conditions of mill workers through awareness programs on alcoholism, nutrition & family planning, industrial safety andoccupational health, positive thinking etc.
Developing managerial skills of coir millers.

Beneficiaries:

Direct beneficiaries are those involved in coir production, processing and trade. Quality improvement benefits to both producers and mill workers in terms of price premiums and higher wages and quality and consistent product/s for buyers/exporters which could eliminating additional cost for cleaning before processing for value added products.

The project findings were presented at a Seminar on Coir Processing and Quality Control, held at Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel, Colombo on 24th September 2009. At the seminar, other than the research findings, specialists on the subject from Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Philippine, Sri Lanka and Asia & Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) shared their experiences through presentations and discussions. The seminar was followed by a visit to Coir Research & Development Institute, Dunkannawa, which was set up as a result of the project.