A coconuts that until recently cost anywhere between Rs. 25 and Rs. 33 in the wholesale markets has now crashed to below Rs. 10 this season. It was a decade ago, in 2006, that coconut prices had had fallen below Rs. 10.
With rates plummeting to Rs. 6,500 from Rs.18,000 per thousand coconuts in the wholesale market in Tumakuru, one of the major coconut growing areas in the state, farmers are in deep distress.
Farmer Marimuthu of Gollarahalli in Chikkanyakanahalli taluk told The Hindu that the situation was so dire that his son, who had completed SSLC, had now dropped out of education. “He is working as an agricultural labourer,” he said. Many farmers are unable to get back even the amount invested in the farms for the past one year. Paramashivaiah of Dodda Agrahara in Sira taluk told The Hindu, “I have stopped watering my 200 coconut trees as it is of no use.”
Add to the low prices what is adding more burden on the farmers is the traditional practice of sodi, where farmers are forced to give 100 coconuts extra at the mandi for every 1000 coconuts, says B.S. Devaraj, State secretary of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha.
While, farmer leader Kodihalli Chandrashekar blamed Union Government’s policy of allowing imports from Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines, for the fall in prices, sources in the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) in the state, denied that imported coconuts have flooded the state’s markets. However, they said that they were not in knowledge of imported coconuts in any other markets leading to a fall in demand for coconuts from the state.
Officials in APMC blame the fall in business from Tamil Nadu for the state’s coconuts as the main reason for the crash in prices. “Tamil Nadu segment usually buys up around 45 per cent of our coconut produce. But this year, since they have had a good yield, business from Tamil Nadu is almost nil, leading to huge suplus and crash in prices,” the official said.
S. H. Keshav, manager, Marketing, Hopcoms said that coconut prices are usually cyclical and was presently down due to fall in demand due to long period of high prices and a good yield this year.
Benefits yet to be reach consumers
Bengaluru: While farmers are struggling with their yield getting poor prices, consumers continue to pay high prices. A large-sized coconut in Bengaluru is around Rs 20. The prices have started falling in the HOPCOMS. “The prices have also started coming down in the retail market and it is just a matter of time before the coconuts will be available at below Rs. 10 levels even in the retail market,” said S. H. Keshav, manager, Marketing, Hopcoms.
Farmers call for Bundh, APMC may propose buying coconuts
Bengaluru: Miffed at the government’s inaction and non-intervention over crashing prices of coconut and arecanut, Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha has now called for a bundh in eight districts of the state – the coconut and arecanut growing areas in the state. The bundh is planned on June 27.
A senior official in APMC said that while the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for coconut announced by the union government was Rs. 1600 per quintal, it was being traded at Rs. 1300 to Rs. 1400 in the wholesale markets in the state. “We are collecting data from various APMCs’ and coconut mandis in the state and plan to soon submit data to the state government to take a call on whether to buy coconuts from the farmers at MSP,” he said.
Tumakuru district
* Tumakuru district has the largest coconut cultivation area in India with 1,45,616 hectares. It produced 12,377 lakh nuts in 2014-15.
* Coconut is grown in 18 states and 3 Union territories in India. Kerala stands first with 6,49,850 hectare of cultivation area and Karnataka stands second with 5,15,030 hectares.
* Over 50,000 lakh coconuts are produced per year in Karnataka.
