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Export coir and coir products

Coir pith grow media, fibre and doormats from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Coir Board registration needed; China, the USA and Europe buy most.

Free to exportHS 5305
HS code
5305
Coir fibre, yarn and coir pith under 5305, and coir mats, matting and rugs under 5702 20. Coir geotextiles and tufted mats fall in other headings.
Export policy
Free to export
Export is Free under ITC(HS); we found no recent restriction. Confirm current status on dgft.gov.in.
Registrations
4
IEC, GST and those below
India’s exports, 2025-26
US$ 639 mn
to 112 countries

What is exported

Exports under 5305 and 5702 20 were about US$ 639 million in 2025-26 (TradeStat). China (mainly fibre and pith) was the largest buyer, followed by the USA, the Netherlands, Peru, Spain, South Korea, the UK and Australia. Coir pith blocks and grow bags go to greenhouse growers; mats and rugs go to home-goods retailers.

Varieties, grades and forms

  • Coir pith (cocopeat) blocks, discs and grow bagsWashed or buffered growing media for greenhouses and nurseries.
  • Coir fibre (bristle, mattress, decorticated)Raw material for mattresses, brushes and rope; China buys most.
  • Coir mats, matting and rugsWoven, printed and latex-backed doormats for home retail.
  • Coir geotextilesErosion-control nets for slopes and embankments (other heading).

Where it is grown or made

  • KeralaAlappuzha and Kollam — mats, matting and rugs.
  • Tamil NaduPollachi, Coimbatore, Thanjavur, Theni — fibre and coir pith.
  • Karnataka and Andhra PradeshTumakuru, Hassan; East Godavari.

Export packing

  • Compressed 5 kg pith blocks on pallets, shrink-wrapped; fibre in pressed bales.
  • Mats in cartons or polybags with the retailer’s barcode labels.

Who buys abroad

  • Greenhouse growers and growing-media brands
  • Home-goods retailers and importers
  • Mattress and brush makers (fibre)

The quality buyers ask for

Coir pith
EC (low after washing/buffering), pH, moisture, expansion, fibre content, weed-free
Fibre
Length, colour, impurity and moisture by grade (bristle, mattress, short)
Mats
Size, weight per m², pile height, dye fastness, backing

Certificates

  • Coir Board registrationRequiredExporter registration and RCMC from the Coir Board.
  • Phytosanitary certificateRequiredIssued by Plant Quarantine (DPPQS) for each consignment after inspection; apply on PQMS.
  • RHP (growing media)Often askedDutch quality mark for substrates, asked for by many European greenhouse buyers.
  • ISO 9001Often askedQuality-management certification many industrial buyers expect from suppliers.

Shipping, storage and shelf life

Container load

A 40-ft high-cube typically carries about 20–26 tonnes of compressed pith blocks; mats cube out before weight.

How it travels

Sea from Tuticorin, Kochi and Chennai.

Storage

Dry, covered storage; keep blocks below contract moisture.

What goes on the pack and carton

  • Growing media: product type, volume after expansion, EC and pH, batch number, "Made in India" and the importer’s required marks.
  • Mats: size, fibre content, care instructions and country of origin, as the retailer’s label rules require.
Where to get it tested

The Coir Board’s research institutes (Central Coir Research Institute, Kalavoor) test coir fibre and pith; NABL-accredited labs (nabl-india.org) test EC, pH and moisture. European buyers may ask for RHP-certified testing.

Benefits of exporting this product

Where to register

  • Coir BoardRegistration with the Coir Board as an exporter of coir and coir products; the Board issues the RCMC for this sector.coirboard.gov.in ↗
  • Plant Quarantine (DPPQS)Phytosanitary certificate for each consignment of plant produce, applied for online on PQMS. Some markets also want the packhouse or processing unit registered.pqms.cgg.gov.in ↗

Quality and checks

  • Coir pith for growing media: electrical conductivity (EC, low after washing or buffering), pH, expansion volume, moisture and freedom from weed seeds and pathogens.
  • Phytosanitary certificate for fibre and pith; Australia and some other markets set import conditions (treatment, permit) — check before you ship.
  • Mats and rugs: size tolerance, weight per square metre, dye fastness, and latex backing quality.
How to start small

Register with the Coir Board, then offer 5 kg compressed coir pith blocks or printed coir doormats from a Pollachi or Alappuzha unit to a garden-centre or home-goods importer, starting with one container. Since 15 September 2026, a consignment worth up to ₹3 lakh FOB does not need an RCMC (DGFT Notification 36/2026-27); registrations required by a law still apply.

Where new exporters go wrong

  • High-EC (unwashed) pith sold as horticultural grade — growers reject it because salt damages plants.
  • Moisture in compressed blocks above contract — weight and mould claims follow.

Documents this product needs

Schemes that apply

Sources (5)
  1. Department of Commerce — TradeStat, India’s exports by commodity and country (2025-26)
  2. DGFT — Appendix 2T, export promotion councils, boards and the products they cover (as on 6 Feb 2023)
  3. Coir Board (Ministry of MSME) — exporter registration and coir products
  4. DGFT — Appendix 4R, RoDTEP schedule for DTA exports w.e.f. 10 Oct 2024 (Notification No. 32, 30 Sep 2024)
  5. DGFT Notification 36/2026-27 (15 Sep 2026) — no RCMC needed for consignments up to ₹3 lakh FOB

Trade data

Indian coir and coir products exports in numbers

From the Department of Commerce’s TradeStat, country by country. US$, Indian financial years (April–March).

Exports in 2025-26
US$ 639 mn
+10.2% a year on average, 2020-21 to 2025-26
Change from 2024-25
↑ +55.5%
US$ 411 mn → US$ 639 mn
Buyer countries
112
Average export price
US$ 0.46
per kg · 1.40 mn tonnes shipped · US$ 0.35 the year before
China: US$ 165 mnUnited States of America: US$ 78.4 mnNetherlands: US$ 60.2 mnPeru: US$ 48.3 mnSpain: US$ 42.8 mnSouth Korea: US$ 36.5 mnUnited Kingdom: US$ 24.7 mnAustralia: US$ 18.1 mnItaly: US$ 17.7 mnUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 14.3 mnMorocco: US$ 13.8 mnCanada: US$ 11.4 mnGermany: US$ 10.4 mnBelgium: US$ 9.7 mnSouth Africa: US$ 8.2 mnFrance: US$ 7.1 mnIsrael: US$ 6.9 mnBrazil: US$ 6.3 mnMexico: US$ 4.8 mnEgypt: US$ 4.4 mnRussia: US$ 3.8 mnPortugal: US$ 3.6 mnTürkiye: US$ 3.5 mnJapan: US$ 3 mnNew Zealand: US$ 2.8 mnChina: US$ 165 mnChinaUnited States of America: US$ 78.4 mnUnited States of AmericaNetherlands: US$ 60.2 mnNetherlandsPeru: US$ 48.3 mnPeruSpain: US$ 42.8 mnSpainSouth Korea: US$ 36.5 mnUnited Kingdom: US$ 24.7 mnAustralia: US$ 18.1 mnAustraliaItaly: US$ 17.7 mnUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 14.3 mnMorocco: US$ 13.8 mnCanada: US$ 11.4 mnGermany: US$ 10.4 mnBelgium: US$ 9.7 mnSouth Africa: US$ 8.2 mnFrance: US$ 7.1 mnIsrael: US$ 6.9 mnBrazil: US$ 6.3 mnMexico: US$ 4.8 mnEgypt: US$ 4.4 mnRussia: US$ 3.8 mnPortugal: US$ 3.6 mnTürkiye: US$ 3.5 mnJapan: US$ 3 mnNew Zealand: US$ 2.8 mnIndia
Where Indian coir and coir products goes — among our 80 countries, 2025-26
2020-21: US$ 394 mn3942020-212021-22: US$ 479 mn4792021-222022-23: US$ 290 mn2902022-232023-24: US$ 320 mn3202023-242024-25: US$ 411 mn4112024-252025-26: US$ 639 mn6392025-26
India’s coir and coir products exports, year by year · US$ million

The price cycle

India’s average export price per kg each year (total value ÷ total quantity). Highest in 2025-26, lowest in 2022-23 — a 47% swing between them. Keep this swing in mind when you quote.

2020-21: US$ 0.37 per kg2021-22: US$ 0.42 per kg2022-23: US$ 0.31 per kg0.312024-25: US$ 0.35 per kg2025-26: US$ 0.46 per kg0.462020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-26
Average export price of Indian coir and coir products · US$ per kg · dotted = year in between not available

What next: a projection from the trend

The past trend carried forward — not a forecast by any authority. Sudden changes in policy, prices or demand are not in it.

2020-21: US$ 394 mn2020-212021-22: US$ 479 mn2021-222022-23: US$ 290 mn2022-232023-24: US$ 320 mn2023-242024-25: US$ 411 mn2024-252025-26: US$ 639 mn2025-262026-27: US$ 501 mn (US$ 336 mn – US$ 747 mn)5012026-272027-28: US$ 531 mn (US$ 340 mn – US$ 830 mn)5312027-28
India’s coir and coir products exports and projection · hollow bars = projection, line = likely range
By 2027-28: US$ 531 mn

Likely range US$ 340 mn to US$ 830 mn.

Trend
+6% a year
Fit (R²)
0.15 — weak, read with care
Based on
6 years of official figures

Method: a straight line through the logarithm of yearly exports (log-linear regression); range = ±1 standard error.

Biggest buyer countries

By value in 2025-26. Change is against 2024-25.

Name2025-26Change
1ChinaUS$ 165 mn+43.4%
2United States of AmericaUS$ 78.4 mn+15.8%
3NetherlandsUS$ 60.2 mn+71.9%
4PeruUS$ 48.3 mn+140.5%
5SpainUS$ 42.8 mn+91.2%
6South KoreaUS$ 36.5 mn+49.5%
7United KingdomUS$ 24.7 mn+41.1%
8AustraliaUS$ 18.1 mn+67.3%
9ItalyUS$ 17.7 mn+117.4%
10United Arab EmiratesUS$ 14.3 mn+70%
11MoroccoUS$ 13.8 mn+140.7%
12CanadaUS$ 11.4 mn+48.4%

Where demand is rising and falling

Only countries that buy at least US$ 1 million or 1% of India’s exports of this product. Change from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

High demand

  1. South AfricaUS$ 2.9 mn → US$ 8.2 mn+184.1%
  2. MoroccoUS$ 5.7 mn → US$ 13.8 mn+140.7%
  3. PeruUS$ 20.1 mn → US$ 48.3 mn+140.5%
  4. ItalyUS$ 8.1 mn → US$ 17.7 mn+117.4%
  5. BelgiumUS$ 5 mn → US$ 9.7 mn+91.9%
  6. SpainUS$ 22.4 mn → US$ 42.8 mn+91.2%
  7. NetherlandsUS$ 35 mn → US$ 60.2 mn+71.9%
  8. United Arab EmiratesUS$ 8.4 mn → US$ 14.3 mn+70%

Low demand

No sizeable country falls in this list this year.

Which forms sell, and at what price

India’s exports by 8-digit tariff line, 2025-26. Average price = total value ÷ total quantity (TradeStat): the average of every shipment on that line, not the price of any one deal.

Tariff lineValue 2025-26ChangeQuantityAverage price
Coconut, abaca, ramie and other vegetable textile fibres, raw or processed but not spun, tow, noils and… — c0ir pith5305 00 40US$ 510 mn+63.2%9,41,260 tonnesUS$ 0.54 per kgwas US$ 0.40
Coir bristle fibre, coir mattress fibre, coir short fibre, coir bit fibre, decorticated coir fibre5305 00 10 · Coconut, abaca, ramie and other vegetable textile fibres, raw or processed but not spun, tow, noils and…US$ 95.2 mn+52.3%4,41,148 tonnesUS$ 0.22 per kgwas US$ 0.16
Carpets and other textile floor coverings, woven,, whether or not made up, of coconut fibres — coir crpts and other rogs5702 20 20US$ 18.9 mn-10.3%3.2 mn m²US$ 5.86 per m²was US$ 6.56
Carpets and other textile floor coverings, woven,, whether or not made up, of coconut fibres — other flr cvrngs of coir5702 20 90US$ 7.8 mn-3.7%1.4 mn m²US$ 5.73 per m²was US$ 8.39
Coir matting,woven,powerloom5702 20 10 · Carpets and other textile floor coverings, woven,, whether or not made up, of coconut fibresUS$ 4.9 mn+30.8%4.8 mn m²US$ 1.01 per m²was US$ 0.99
Curled coir fibre/machine twisted fibre5305 00 30 · Coconut, abaca, ramie and other vegetable textile fibres, raw or processed but not spun, tow, noils and…US$ 2 mn-15.9%7,059 tonnesUS$ 0.28 per kgwas US$ 0.25
Coconut, abaca, ramie and other vegetable textile fibres, raw or processed but not spun, tow, noils and… — other bast fibres5305 00 90US$ 450k-38.4%1,278 tonnesUS$ 0.35 per kgwas US$ 0.39
Coconut, abaca, ramie and other vegetable textile fibres, raw or processed but not spun, tow, noils and… — of abaca5305 00 50US$ 0-100%0.1 tonnes—

The world market

Each country’s own recorded exports and imports in UN Comtrade, 2023 (the latest year nearly every country has reported).

World imports
US$ 533 mn
2023
India among exporters
#1
of 88 countries
India’s share of world exports
40.1%
US$ 287 mn
Left for others to win
US$ 429 mn
exported by other countries

Top exporters — your competitors

  1. 1IndiaUS$ 287 mn 40.1%
  2. 2Sri LankaUS$ 173 mn 24.2%
  3. 3BrazilUS$ 46.3 mn 6.5%
  4. 4KenyaUS$ 39.9 mn 5.6%
  5. 5Viet NamUS$ 27.2 mn 3.8%
  6. 6PhilippinesUS$ 24.6 mn 3.4%
  7. 7EcuadorUS$ 23 mn 3.2%
  8. 8NetherlandsUS$ 22.4 mn 3.1%
  9. 9SpainUS$ 11.9 mn 1.7%
  10. 10ThailandUS$ 8.7 mn 1.2%

Biggest buyers in the world

  1. 1ChinaUS$ 154 mn 28.8%
  2. 2USAUS$ 71.2 mn 13.4%
  3. 3United KingdomUS$ 44.9 mn 8.4%
  4. 4SpainUS$ 20.1 mn 3.8%
  5. 5NetherlandsUS$ 20 mn 3.8%
  6. 6CanadaUS$ 17.4 mn 3.3%
  7. 7MoroccoUS$ 15.5 mn 2.9%
  8. 8Rep. of KoreaUS$ 14.9 mn 2.8%
  9. 9JapanUS$ 14.4 mn 2.7%
  10. 10PhilippinesUS$ 11.5 mn 2.1%

Opportunity: what these countries buy from the world, and from India

Each country’s own recorded imports in UN Comtrade, latest year it has reported. The long light part of each bar is demand other countries are filling today.

ChinaUS$ 153 mnIndia 37.4% · gap US$ 95.5 mn
United KingdomUS$ 44.9 mnIndia 36.6% · gap US$ 28.4 mn
United States of AmericaUS$ 86.8 mnIndia 75.6% · gap US$ 21.2 mn
South KoreaUS$ 15.5 mnIndia 1% · gap US$ 15.3 mn
JapanUS$ 14.7 mnIndia 1.6% · gap US$ 14.5 mn
CanadaUS$ 21.8 mnIndia 40.3% · gap US$ 13 mn
NetherlandsUS$ 29.4 mnIndia 56.7% · gap US$ 12.7 mn
SpainUS$ 20.6 mnIndia 46.8% · gap US$ 10.9 mn
GermanyUS$ 14 mnIndia 45% · gap US$ 7.7 mn
FranceUS$ 9.2 mnIndia 51.4% · gap US$ 4.5 mn

TradeStat’s 2023-24 quantities are double-counted, so that year is left out of the price. Sources: TradeStat — Export Import Data Bank, Department of Commerce · UN Comtrade database (United Nations Statistics Division) · Figures taken 29 October 2026.

Step by step

How to export coir and coir products

India is the world’s largest producer and exporter of coir products, with Sri Lanka as the main competitor. Demand has shifted from mats to coir pith growing media for greenhouse horticulture in Europe, the Americas and Asia, while China buys fibre for mattresses and other uses. Openings: buffered, low-EC grow bags for greenhouse growers, geotextiles for erosion control, and designed mats for home retailers.

  1. 01Register with the Coir Board

    Get your IEC and Coir Board registration (RCMC).

  2. 02Choose a product and unit

    Pick pith, fibre or mats and a manufacturing unit with consistent quality.

  3. 03Sample and test

    Send samples with EC, pH and moisture reports (pith) or specifications (mats).

  4. 04Inspection and phytosanitary certificate

    Apply on PQMS; Plant Quarantine inspects the lot (and fumigation or treatment if the importing country requires it) before issuing the certificate.

  5. 05Agree specification, price and payment

    Put grade, tests, packing, Incoterm (FOB or CIF), shipment period and payment (advance, LC or documents against payment) in a written contract. Cover the buyer with ECGC if you give credit.

  6. 06File the shipping bill and ship

    Your customs broker files the shipping bill on ICEGATE with the invoice and packing list. After customs clearance the line issues the bill of lading; get the certificate of origin from the right agency if the buyer needs a trade-agreement rate.

  7. 07Get paid and close the file

    Send original documents through your bank (or to the buyer if paid in advance). When the money arrives, get the e-BRC and claim RoDTEP and drawback where they apply.

Meet buyers

Trade fairs

Questions

Questions about exporting coir and coir products

Who issues the RCMC for coir?
The Coir Board (Ministry of MSME), per DGFT Appendix 2T.
What is EC and why does it matter?
Electrical conductivity shows salt content; growers need low-EC pith or plants are damaged.
Who buys Indian coir?
China, the USA, the Netherlands, Peru, Spain, South Korea and the UK (TradeStat, 2025-26).
What RoDTEP does coir get?
Coir fibre and processed pith 2.4% of FOB capped at ₹1/kg; woven coir matting and rugs 2% capped at ₹19.2/m² (Appendix 4R).
Do I need an RCMC for a small trial shipment?
Not for a consignment up to ₹3 lakh FOB since 15 Sep 2026 (DGFT Notification 36/2026-27). Registrations that a law requires, such as the Spices Board CRES or Tobacco Board registration, still apply.
Sources (5)
  1. Department of Commerce — TradeStat, India’s exports by commodity and country (2025-26)
  2. Coir Board (Ministry of MSME) — exporter registration and coir products
  3. DGFT — Appendix 2T, export promotion councils, boards and the products they cover (as on 6 Feb 2023)
  4. DGFT — Appendix 4R, RoDTEP schedule for DTA exports w.e.f. 10 Oct 2024 (Notification No. 32, 30 Sep 2024)
  5. NABL — accredited laboratory search

Who buys Indian coir and coir products

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