The main functions of the Board as laid down in Section 10 of the Coir Industry Act as given below:-

  1.      It shall be the duty of Board to promote by such measures as it thinks fit for the development  of the Coir Industry.

 2.      Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of Sub Section (I) the measures referred to therein may relate to:

 a.   Promoting exports of coir yarn and coir products and carrying on propaganda for that     

         purpose

b.  Regulating under the supervision of the Central  Government the production of husks,coir

     fiber,  yarn and coir products by registering coir spindles and looms for manufacturing coir

     products as also manufacturers of coir products, licensing exports of coir yarn and coir

     products and taking such other appropriate steps as may be prescribed;

c. Undertaking, assisting or encouraging scientific, technological and economic research and

    maintaining  assisting the maintenance of one or more research Institutes;

d. Collecting statistics from manufacturers of, and dealers  in, coir products and some such

    other person as may be prescribed, on any matter relating to the coir Industry, in the

    publication of statistics so collected or production thereof or extracts there from;

e. Fixing grade standards and arranging when necessary for inspection of coir fibre, coir yarn

    and coir products;

f. Improving the marketing of coconut husk, coir fibre, coir yarn and coir products in India

   elsewhere and preventing unfair competition;

g. Setting up or assisting in the setting up of factories for the producers of coir products with

    aid of power;

h)      Promoting co-operative organization among producers of husks, coir fibre and coir yarn

and manufacturers of coir products;

i)  Ensuring remunerative returns to products of husks, coir fibre and coir yarn and

    manufacturers of coir products;

j. Licencing of retting places and warehouses and otherwise regulating the stocking and sale

  of coir fibre and coir yarn and coir products both for the internal market and for exports;

k. Advising on all matters relating to the development of the coir Industry;

l. Such other matters as may be prescribed.

3.The Board shall perform its functions under this section in accordance with and subject to  such rules as may be made by the Central Government.

Section 4 of the Coir Industry Act 1953  empowers the Central Government to constitute the Coir Board. The Sub Rule 4 of the Coir Industry Rules 1954 provided the number of persons to be appointed as members from each or the categories specified in sub section(3) of Section 4 of the Act as follows:

a. Growers of coconut and producers of husks and coir yarn   :3

b. Persons engaged in the production of husks, coir and coir yarn and in the manufacture of

    coir products :3

c. Manufacturers of coir products :3

d. Dealers in coir, coir yarn and coir products including both exporters and internal traders: 3

e. Parliament – two members to be elected by the Lok Sabha and one to be elected by Rajya

   Sabha     :3

f. The Government of the principal coconut growing States:  5

g. Such other persons or class of persons who in the opinion of the Central Government ought

    to be represented on the Board.

The present Board was reconstituted by the Central Government for a period of 3 years vide gazette notification No.S.O.784(E) dated 7.9.1998.  The Government vide the above notification appointed Chairman and 25 members in the Board.  Subsequently vide notifications No.S.O.38(E) dated 22.1.1999 and S.O.166(E) dated 11.3.1999 appointed two more members.

  Two vacancies under the category ‘Representatives of principal coconut growing States’ and one vacancy under the category representing persons engaged in the production of husks, coir and coir yarn and in the manufacture of coir products’ remained vacant.  Subsequently, due to the dissolution of the Lok Sabha two vacancies in the category representing the Lok Sabha members have become vacant and since the term of Shri John F Fernandez, Member of Rajyasabha, has been over, one vacancy under the category of  Rajya Sabha Members has also arisen.

Meeting of the Board and it Committees

Section 8 of the Coir Industry Act 1953 empowers the Board to constitute an Executive Committee for the purpose of exercising such of the powers and performing such  of the duties of the Board as may be delegated to it by the Board.  There is further provision for constitute of Standing Committees of ad-hoc Committees for discharging the functions of the Board at the Committee level.  Thus in addition to the Executive Committee the Board had constituted the following  Committees as envisaged under Section 4 of the Coir Industry Act,1953.

  1.                   Research & Development Committee

  2.                   Export Promotion Committee

  3.         Marketing & Publicity Committee

4.         Brown Fibre Development Committee

5.            Hindustan Coir Advisory Committee