Kerala is known for its vibrant cooperative movement but the Kadalundi coir vyavasaya cooperative society tells a different story. The society’s coir sales have plummeted and a serious crisis looms large. P.Sasindran president of the society is deeply worried.
Bundles of coir yarn worth several lakhs are lying unsold in the society’s godown. The crisis of the cooperative is compounded by the fact that its female workers have left in droves and are no longer attending the board meetings. They seem to have sundered their ties with the society. The latter established in 1958 seems to be terminally ill.
The members put down the present crisis to the unhelpful attitude of the Kerala state cooperative marketing federation. Many members also blame their difficulties on what they call a policy of ‘eco-fanaticism’ being pursued by the state govt.
Several thousands of quintals of coir yarn are rotting in godowns of cooperative societies in the district but the Coirfed has yet to arrange custom for them.
The society’s financial situation is so bad that it would not even be able to pay its workers in the next days, said a functionary of the cooperative.