Alappuzha (Kerala), Feb 3 (IANS) The buyer-seller meet at the ongoing Coir Kerala 2013 Sunday was expected to yield export orders of Rs.200 crore, said the organisers.

The event, which began Friday and will close Feb 6, was attended by around 170 delegates from 60 countries - double than last year - besides 250 domestic participants taking part, the organisers said.

Furnishings and geotextiles were the products that drew the greatest interest from buyers.

A Saudi Arabian firm has put forward a proposal for the use of geotextiles for soil stabilisation and to prevent saline water intrusion.

A project demonstration will be ready by the end of next month with the National Coir Research and Management Institute (NCRMI) as technology provider, and Coir Corporation entrusted with the physical implementation, organisers said.

Rajendra Panicker, secretary of the Kalavoor Sarvodayapuram Society, said they were able to secure new orders from countries such as Spain through the buyer-seller meet last year.

"This time we hope to get more orders as we had promising discussions with buyers from China and the US," he said.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation K.C. Venugopal, who represents Alappuzha constituency in the Lok Sabha, said there are so many agencies at the central and state levels but there was a "worrying" lack of coordination between them, which needs to be addressed urgently.

"Majority of exports are in the area of value added products. The coir industry in Kerala needs to do it. There are a lot of apprehensions and challenges facing the coir industry. We should bring out a roadmap and chalk out realistic plans and popular schemes for workers in the coir sector," he said.