Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 27 (IANS): Kerala has stepped up efforts to market coir at the global and country level and is making efforts to see that its domestic sale doubles to Rs.5,000 crore in the next five years, a minister said Sunday.

"A large and virtually untapped market for coir exists within the country which could potentially drive the resurgence of Kerala's coir industry," Minister for Revenue and Coir Adoor Prakash told reporters.

Kerala, the largest manufacturer of coir, has been able to tap into less than five percent of the domestic market potential.

"Coir products manufactured in Kerala are in demand in nearly every state and we must take advantage of the opportunity this presents," the minister said, ahead of the Coir Kerala 2013, an international expo into its third edition that begins February at Alappuzha.

More than 240 domestic buyers, 160 foreign delegates from 60 countries are taking part in Coir Kerala 2013.

"We have supported and will continue to support coir manufacturers and businesses. However, ultimately it is market expansion that drives the industry's growth," said Prakash.

The emphasis at Coir Kerala this year is on exploring product diversification that will give coir a wider appeal.

"We are planning to set up a Rs.30 crore state-of-the-art coir factory complex through the Coir Corporation to support product diversification," added Prakash.

In the state there are 384 cooperative societies that employ close to 75,000 workers in the coir yarn sector while there are 84 societies employing 5433 in the product sector.