Coconut production dips 5% because of deficient rains: Survey

KOCHI: India’s coconut production fell 5% year-on-year in the current fiscal because of deficient rains and pest attacks, shows a survey by the Coconut Development Board. Coconut is grown in India mainly in the five southern states, which account for 90% of its output. According to the survey, production fell in all these states except Kerala, where the ouput actually rose.

Industry experts said the drop in output may lead to an increase in the price of tender coconut and other coconut products in the coming months. “The drop in production is severe in Andhra Pradesh at 31% and in Karnataka at 22%,” said V C Vasanthakumar, statistics officer at the Coconut Development Board.

“In Andhra, the decrease is reported due to the after effect of two cyclones that lashed the state. Kerala has reported around 8% rise in production.”

India is the world’s biggest coconut producer with an annual output of 2,268 crore nuts. It is followed by Indonesia and the Philippines.

Maddur in Karnataka and Pollachi in Tamil Nadu are the main suppliers of tender coconuts in the country. Bottled tender coconut water suppliers fear a rise in prices when the summer intensifies by April-May.

“We may be forced to buy at higher prices,” said Ajay Kumar Jain, managing director of Bengaluru-based Jain Agro Food Products, which manufactures bottled tender coconut water. “Anything beyond Rs 16 per kg results in loss for us.”

Many farmers are now harvesting tender coconuts instead of waiting for the nuts to mature as the former provides better returns.