Coconut growers in Kerala in despair as output slumps
Mill owners and manufacturers are in crisis due to scarcity of nuts and exporters have taken huge losses, unable to balance purchase and market prices.
'We procure coconut from both Kerala and Tamil Nadu. There has been a steep decline in productivity, which has triggered scarcity in the market. Our export volumes have taken a beating and we have rescheduled work shifts at the factory due to non availability of coconut. We are unable to increase the price in the export market as that will affect our pricing advantage,' said the owner of a leading export firm.
According to experts, multiple factors have contributed to the crisis.
Small and marginal farmers have stopped manuring, harvesting and cleaning the crown of coconut trees in recent years due to low procurement rates and high fertiliser prices. Moreover, coconut climbers charge Rs 70-100 per tree, which growers say is proving unaffordable.
'There has been a decline in productivity due to climate change, relative humidity and scant rainfall. Despite productivity enhancement programmes, the area under cultivation is declining in Kerala. The Coconut Development Board (CDB) spends Rs 20 crore a year in Kerala on productivity enhancement initiatives.
Around 38% of coconut farms in Kerala are old and senile and farmers complain of pests and diseases. Though we have trained 33,000 people in Kerala over the past decade, there is shortage of climbers in the state,' said CDB chief coconut development officer B Hanumanthe Gowda.
'Productivity has declined from 50 nuts to 10-15 nuts per tree in recent years. Coconut tree climbers charge Rs 70-100 per tree, which is costly. Nowadays farmers employ workers from Tamil Nadu who use harvesting poles,' said Pandiyode Prabhakaran, a farmer in Palakkad.
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