Coconut farmers in Udumalpet-Pollachi-Kangeyam belt are apparently awaiting the State Government’s stand on supply of coconut oil through public distribution outlets.
The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED), on its part, has extended procurement of copra through the regulated markets till November 26, fixing minimum support price (MSP) for fair average quality of milling copra at ₹10,896 per quintal and ₹11,750 per quintal for ball copra, for the 2023 season. According to officials, the procurement reflects an increase of ₹270 per quintal for milling copra and ₹750 per quintal for ball copra over the previous season.
However, the farmers say sustenance of the coconut cultivation in the long-term hinges on the supply of coconut oil through the PDS outlets. Coconut farmers have, for long, been urging the State government to replace palm oil with coconut oil for sale through the PDS outlets.
Likewise, mills extracting coconut oil in Kangeyam region, as elsewhere in the State, are sustaining the operations through a tight-rope walking due to the weak demand.
The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices that works under the Union Ministry of Agriculture, has suggested course-correction by both the Central and State Governments to create demand for coconut oil, by removing the subsidies on palm and soya oils meant for sale through PDS outlets.
“The reason for the State Government not taking a stand on facilitating sale of coconut oil through the PDS outlets is not understandable,” P. Velusamy, president of Vellakoil Branch Water Conservation Association (Kangeyam-Vellakoil), said.
According to the farmers, the support price for ball copra does not even cover the cultivation costs.
“Importing palm oil in bulk quantities from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand and subsidising the costs to the detriment of coconut farmers in the country does not make any sense,” a representative of another farmer association said.
