Chapter XII 

 The Coir Fibre Industry 



PROMINENT among the more valuable pro- 

 ducts of the coconut palm is the coir fibre of 

 commerce, which was first exported from 

 the East to Europe as far back as the middle of the 

 sixteenth century. The manufacture of coir from 

 the husk of the coconut acquired great importance 

 under the Dutch, as many as 3,000,000 Ib. of 

 cordage chiefly being annually produced and 

 exported, principally to Batavia and the Cape of 

 Good Hope. The port captains of Colombo and 

 Galle were, says Ferguson, allowed to manufacture 

 or sell on their own account ; the former 600,000 

 Ib., and the latter 500,000 Ib., of coir cordage. In 

 the early days of British influence the manufacture 

 fell off, the natives considering the work only fit 

 for low castes ; but to-day it affords extensive 

 employment among the people, on the coast 

 especially, in the south and the west. Great pro- 

 gress has been made in the industry during the 



