The GST on many coir products has been brought down to 5 percent from earlier 12 percent as natural products rubber and coir are used in this product. The All India Coir Mattress Manufacturers Association have represented to the Coir Board to recommend a GST reduction for coir mattress to 5 percent.

Coir Board to suggest the central government to reduce the goods and services tax (GST) rate on rubberised coir mattress, the largest selling coir product in the country, from 18 to 5 percent to spur sales and trigger a shift from the dominant unorganised sector to the organised one which engages in legalised trade.

At present, the organised sector of the mattress industry is about Rs 6,000 crore while the share of unorganised sector is almost double,’ said AICMMA president S Sundareshan.

The rubberised coir mattress industry has been on the decline for the past few years as costly latex led to dilution of latex in the product. The sales dipped with erosion in quality. The sales of spring and foam mattresses improved as a result, Sundareshan pointed out.