Coir Rope Spinning and Retting Tradition of Alappuzha Backwaters

Alappuzha (Alleppey) is the global capital of coir — the fibre extracted from coconut husks. The traditional process begins with retting: husks are submerged in backwater lagoons for 6–12 months, softening the fibre through microbial action. Workers then beat the retted husks to extract long bristle fibres and short mattress fibres. Women spin the cleaned fibres into yarn on traditional ratts (spinning wheels) and then weave or twist the yarn into rope, doormats, and mattresses on simple frame looms and rope-making machines. Alappuzha has over 150 coir manufacturing units and dozens of cooperatives. The district's brackish backwater ecosystem provides ideal conditions for retting that synthetic soaking cannot replicate.