India leading in cocont production : Radha Mohan

Speed Post News Network

Patna : Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh on January 27, 2018, said that the Coconut Development Board’s (CDB) major schemes are focusing on coconut production, productivity, processing for coconut products, value addition, marketing, and export promotion in Bihar. The Minister said this on the occasion of inauguration of the Farmers’ Training Centre cum Regional Office Building of Coconut Development Board at Patna.

The Minister said that India is leading in the global coconut production and productivity. He said that the annual coconut production is 2,395 crore from 20.82 lakh hectare and the productivity is 11,505 coconuts/hectare. Coconut contributes to about Rs 27,900 crore to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In 2016-17, coconut products worth Rs 2,084 crore were exported. More than one crore population depends on coconut cultivation for their livelihood.

The aim of the CDB is to assist the coconut farmers in coconut production, processing, marketing and export of value-added coconut products thereby to make India the global leader in coconut production, productivity, processing, and export, Singh said, according to a PIB release.

Singh said that the country has witnessed an increase in coconut export. During 2013 -15, coconut production was 42,104 million nuts whereas 44,405 million nuts were produced during 2015-17. The export value of coconut products has increased from Rs 3,017.3 crore during 2011-14 to Rs 4,846.36 crore, which is 60.62% more, an achievement. ” In 2016, we started exporting coconut oil to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka, the countries from where we were importing earlier. For the first time, desiccated coconut is being exported to the US and Europe in large quantities from India, Singh added.

The Minister said that the coconut cultivation can be taken up even on homesteads in Bihar with proper management. Currently, 14,900 hectare is under coconut cultivation. As per the Board’s estimation,  nearly 50,000-hectare area in Bihar is suitable for coconut cultivation under irrigated condition. An increase in coconut production will lead to employment generation, he said.

Singh informed that CDB had sanctioned Rs .409.01 lakh for the implementation of coconut related schemes in Bihar for the years 2014-17. To increase the area under coconut cultivation in Bihar, the focus is on ‘Expansion of area under coconut’ scheme and financial assistance is being provided under the scheme for the new plantations.