Mature coconut wood, available in plenty in the State, is now being looked upon as a cheaper alternative to traditional timbers like jungle jack (aanjili) and the more rare enna punna (calophyllum inophyllum). Under an initiative by the Coconut Development Board, scientists and naval architects at Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) are building a fishing boat from coconut wood. The work on the boat was near complete and was set to be launched soon, said a scientist from CIFT. He said the boat would be handed over to a group of fishermen near Chellanam.
The nine-metre boat will be fitted with a 9.9 HP outboard engine and will be suitable both for inland and marine fishing operations. It could be used for gill netting, lining and thaanguvala operations, said the scientist.
