Giving a fillip to coconut farming in the State, Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has announced plans to establish a Centre for Advanced Agricultural Science and Technology for developing knowledge and skill in coconut-based secondary agriculture.
The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) has approved a ₹24.73-crore project in this regard under the Centres for Advanced Agricultural Science and Technology (CAAST) component of the National Agricultural Higher Education Programme.
Of the outlay of ₹24.73 crore, ₹19.732 crore will be borne by the ICAR. As much as ₹5 crore would be the State share, KAU Vice Chancellor R. Chandra Babu said on Wednesday.
The activities of the proposed centre would be coordinated by the Coconut Research Station, Balaramapuram; College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara; Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur; and Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pilicode.
The KAU selected coconut as the focus of the project in view of the State government's thrust on coconut farming, Dr. Chandra Babu said. He underscored the need to support the crop by all possible means and to ensure revival of coconut farming and support to farmers with scientific protocols for value addition and processing.
“The university, which developed the first coconut hybrid in the world, has strength in the emerging areas of industrial processing and value addition in coconut, namely production of Neera, extraction of virgin coconut oil and its byproducts and making quality furniture from coconut wood,” the Vice Chancellor said in a statement.
Coir pith, known as coir peat and coir dust — a byproduct of coconut fibre — can be converted into organic manure for vegetable cultivation, especially in urban and peri-urban areas, according to the university. The KAU has set up pilot plants to impart systematic training and guidance, he added.
The multidisciplinary project team is headed by KAU Director of Research P. Indiradevi as nodal officer. R. Sujatha, Associate Director (Coconut Mission), is the Principal Investigator. The CAAST project on coconut-based secondary agriculture will be operational for a period of three years from the current fiscal.
