With an outlay of Rs.21 crore, 19 projects comprising research, processing, product diversification, and market promotion of coconuts in the country have been cleared by the Coconut Development Board (CDB). The projects come with a subsidy of Rs.4 crore.
One of the projects is a virgin coconut oil unit to be established in the State. The decision was taken at a meeting of the CDB’s project approval committee in Kochi on Friday. It was chaired by CDB chairman T.K. Jose.
There will be six projects for desiccated coconut powder units to process two lakh nuts per day; two tender coconut water preservation and packaging units with a capacity to process 30,000 tender coconuts per day; two coconut shell charcoal manufacturing units to process 26 tonnes; one shell powder unit to process 20 tonnes; one ball copra unit to process 12 lakh coconuts per year; and one market promotional programme to establish 70 integrated coconut points.
Karnataka gets one tender coconut water processing unit with a capacity to process 10,000 tender coconuts per day; three desiccated coconut powder processing unit with a capacity to process 1,35,000 nuts per day; and two coconut shell charcoal units to process 26 tonnes of shell per day.
