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New Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Coconut Development Board in Kerala charts new course to boost production
KOCHI: With Kerala reporting a steep decline in coconut production, the Coconut Development Board (CDB) has formulated a slew of schemes to enhance productivity. The downturn has sent coconut prices soaring in the state. The schemes include subsidy for coconut nurseries and nucleus coconut seed gardens, a cluster-based productivity enhancement scheme, and assistance for expansion of area under cultivation. Besides, coconut climbers' task forces will be formed under a new scheme titled Cocomitra, where a group of 10 persons can form a legal entity — like a cooperative society — to avail a financial assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh for equipment and mobility support. 'Though we spend Rs 20 crore a year for productivity enhancement in Kerala, there has been a decline in coconut production,' CDB chief coconut development officer B Hanumanthe Gowda told TNIE. 'Around 38% of the farms in the state are old and senile. The productivity has been affected due to pests and diseases. So we have decided to increase the area under cultivation and productivity.' Coconut nursery Under the scheme to ensure the availability of quality seedlings, CDB will provide financial assistance of Rs 90 per seedling for public sector initiatives and half of that for the private sector, with a maximum production capacity of 25,000 seedlings in acre. The minimum production capacity should be 6,250 seedlings per year on 25 cents of land. In non-traditional areas, the minimum production can be 3,125 seedlings. The nursery with a capacity of more than 20,000 quality seedlings will be provided accreditation under the CDB scheme 'Accreditation and Rating of Coconut Nursery'. Nucleus seed garden A financial assistance of Rs 3.60 lakh per hectare will be provided to coconut cultivators to establish nucleus coconut seed gardens. The minimum area required for a seed garden is two hectares, with the maximum assistance extended up to an area of four hectares. Productivity improvement Another scheme is to improve the productivity of coconut holdings through an integrated approach. The subsidy amount will be Rs 42,000 per hectare, limited to a maximum of two hectares per beneficiary in two equal annual instalments.
New Indian Express
27-06-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Coconut growers in Kerala in despair as output slumps
KOCHI: It seems the coconut farming sector in South India has been hit by what can be termed as a paradox of prosperity. While the price of coconut has skyrocketed, a shroud of melancholy has enveloped the sector in Kerala -- with farmers in distress over a steep decline in production. The price of coconut has touched Rs 80 per kg in the local market while coconut oil is selling for over Rs 400 a litre. 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.
