CHENNAI: Tender coconuts will not be too tender on your pockets this summer. With the temperature touching 40-degree Celsius and Agni Nakshatram at its peak, Chennaiites will have to shell out more for this summer drink. There has been a shortage in the availability of coconuts after Cyclone Gaja battered the coast of Tamil Nadu where hectares of coconut plantations were destroyed. In some areas of the city, tender coconuts are being sold for more than Rs. 50.
“This is due to the supply crunch from Pattukkottai and Thanjavur farms which were hit by Cyclone Gaja. To manage the demand, we are now bringing it from Puducherry and Cuddalore, where the prices are higher,” says, Selvam Kalidas, a wholesale dealer in the city.
According to a State Agriculture Department report, the Gaja cyclone which struck Tamil Nadu last November affected nearly 45,117 hectares of coconut plantations and damaged around 63 lakh coconut trees in eight districts in the State.
Speaking about the cost of procurement, Kalidas says, “The tender coconuts are at least five rupees more than what was sold last year and each coconut carries an additional cost of three rupees for transportation. The total cost is around Rs. 30 mark”. Few sellers are even storing tender coconuts in bulk to maintain their sale. “I purchase up to 200 coconuts and sell it over three days.
On average, we sell up to 80 tender coconuts a day. And for the past few years, the sale has remained the same, despite growing alternatives in the form of beverages and packaged juices,” says T Raji, a seller. P Arumugam, another seller says, “Tender coconuts are always fresh and natural. The demand keeps changing on a day to- day basis but it is always selling as there are no added sugars or chemicals used to enhance the taste.”