Coir yarn has been produced since time immemorial throughout the coastal belt of Kerala. It is reported that ancient travellers like Megasthenes took back many valuable gifts including coir rope from the Malabar Coast. Coconut fibre is extracted from the shell of the coconut by dehusking, retting and beating. The husks are first separated from the nuts and then retted in lagoons for up to ten months. The retted husks are then manually beaten with wooden mallets to produce the golden fibre. Thereafter, the fibre is spun into yarn on traditional spinning wheels called “ratts”. The yarns are then dyed in the required colours and woven to make different products including coir mats, rugs, tiles, baskets and suchlike. The coir is also used in many other ways, for example fish nets, plant climbers as well as for industrial, agricultural and domestic purposes.
