Technological Change in Kerala Industry:Lessons from Coir Yarn Spinning

Technological backwardness is a crucial fact of Kerala's industrial life. The major industries in Kerala, coir processing, handloom weaving, and beedi-making are marked by the use of low productive technologies. Further, development of industry in the State, among other factors, thus crucially hinges on technological modernisation. Technological change is, however, not merely a matter of finding new machines for old. It involves several other important social questions. As these questions could be expected to unfold with many a detail only on micro-examination, the study particularly focused on three villages in southern Kerala, which are important centres of coir yarn production. Coir industry was chosen for examination because of its social and economic importance.