The Hindu Business Line : A nutty problem

Kerala was once renowned as the “land of coconuts”, but that accolade is now in danger of becoming a mere empty slogan as the area under coconut plantations in the State is shrinking. In 1991-92, the area of the State under coconut cultivation was 57 per cent. By 2004-05, it dwindled to 46 per cent. In contrast, the share of area in neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka rose from 29 to 38 per cent.

Still, coconut remains an important crop for Kerala. Covering 9 lakh hectares, coconut accounts for 42 per cent of the net cropped area, and provides livelihoods to over 3.5 million families in the State. Productivity levels, however, are poor.

The average productivity of Kerala’s coconut plantations declined in 2005-06 by 1.5 per cent to 6,575 nuts per hectare, much lower than the 15,189 nuts/ha reported by Maharashtra in 2004-05 and 9,083 nuts/ha reported by Tamil Nadu. A high percentage of senile and unproductive plants, and the uncontrolled spread of the root-wilt disease, have had their toll on Kerala’s coconuts too. The State Government is aware of the crisis and last week it announced a scheme to buy nearly 40 million coconuts from farmers. The government will procure de-husked and split coconuts at a rate of Rs 11 per kg from farmers in the districts of Kozhikode, Kannur, Malappuram, Alappuzha and Kollam.

The State’s coconut farmers are facing a severe crash in prices, with prices of all other edible oils rising, but coconut oil prices falling. According to the State’s Agriculture Minister, Mr Mullakara Ratnakaran, “Land reform has made farm holdings small and most of the farmers now raise coconut as a household crop affecting productivity. The farmers in other States have large farms and they have the facility to process coconuts to add value to their produce.”

The Minister exhorted Keralites to increase consumption of coconut oil and use the soaps made in the State to boost the price of coconut oil and coconuts. He added that 2008 will be observed as the Year of the Coconut in the State, and the government is also planning to organise a World Coconut Meet in Kochi that same year.

According to the Coconut Development Board, in order to save the coconut sector, projects to improve production and productivity will have to be initiated on an urgent basis. Otherwise, families of coconut growers, numbering around 35 lakh, would be put to severe hardship. Clearly, it’s time that the Land of Coconuts began sprucing up its backyard.

The writer can be contacted at kgkumar@gmail.com

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