Call to make coconut farming profitable

COIMBATORE: The Coconut Development Board gets nervous with each free trade agreements with countries like Sri Lanka or Malaysia.
Because any agreement on the import of coconut oil or coconut products spells doom for the domestic industry. So, the Board is strongly recommending that coconut should be in the negative list.
According to Minnie Mathew, Chairman, Coconut Development Board, though coconut and coconut products were included in the exempted list, this was not a comfort for all times to come. So, the farmers should look for improving productivity, value addition and diversification to make coconut farming sustainable.
Delivering the inaugural address at a Workshop on Technology Mission on Coconut in Pollachi on Friday, Minnie Mathew said that coconut price fluctuation was cyclical.
Every three years it goes up and comes down. If during January 2005, the price of one quintal coconut oil was Rs 7,200, it came down to Rs 4,300 by December the same year, thus affecting the farmers. The demand is also decreasing.
Coconut oil is not used as a cooking medium beyond Kerala. Emergence of cheaper substitutes like palm oil is available for industrial use. Besides, the macro economic policies of the Union Government like free trade add to the woes of the farmers.
In States such as Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, coconut farmers are switching over to oil farm and rubber respectively. So, the challenge is how to make coconut cultivation remunerative and profitable for the farmers.
Coconut production in the country is 13,000 million nuts. Tamil Nadu contributes 30 percent of the total. The rate is fast catching up with Kerala with the production being over 4,000 million nuts as against the 5,700 million nuts in Kerala.
The budgetary allocation too has doubled for Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu has various advantages to forge ahead, like low cost production, high productivity and cheap labour, she said.
State Industries Commissioner M Raman said that around 5,400 coir units were functioning in Tamil Nadu, providing employment opportunity is, to 75,000 people.
The coconut based products manufacturing was found to be on the rise in the State during the last 15 to 20 years, he added.
Member of Coconut Development Board Sellamuthu, vice-chairman Coir Board C M Kamaraj, a progressive farmer A Krishnasamy and director Coconut Development Board K V Subramanian participated.

Source:newindpress

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