THANJAVUR: With coconut prices on the decline over the past few weeks, coconut farmers in the district have been hit badly. "In the last few weeks, the price of a coconut has fallen by Rs 3", says V Veerasenan, a coconut farmer from Pattukkottai.
While coconut prices have been low for the past few years, the decline over the past few weeks has come as a bigger jolt to the farmers, who have now sought urgent measures from the government to tide over the situation.
According to sources, coconut is cultivated in 90,000 acres in the district, mostly in the coastal blocks of Pattukottai, Madukkur, Pervurani, Sethubachathiram and the inland blocks of Orathanadu and Tiruvonam. The procurement price offered is only around Rs 8 per coconut for the farmers, while the consumers pay more than Rs 15.
"Even while the labour cost for plucking, collecting and dehusking remains the same, the procurement price has gone down", says Veerasenan, adding that this aggravates farmers' losses. P Karunamurthy of Pazhayanagaram village near Peravurani and treasurer of the panchayat union unit of the Tamil Nadu Coconut Farmers' Association says for every coconut sold for Rs 8, the farmers have to shell out Rs 4 for plucking, collection, de-husking, transport etc.
"At a price of Rs 4 per coconut, we cannot even maintain our groves", he said. While there are marketing committees in Pattukkottai, Orathanadu, Thanjavur and Kumbakonam that procure copra at a reasonable price of Rs 109 per kg compared to the open market price of Rs 85 per kg, not all farmers can make copra.
"Since large drying yards are needed to make copra, only the wealthier farmers can do it,", says Karunamurthy. Veerasenan also points out that copra-making requires skilled labourers, which are very few in the district.
"The government should procure de-husked coconuts, as is done in Kerala, at a rate of Rs 60 per kg", says Karunamurthy, who also sought an increase in procurement price of copra to Rs 200 per kg. Veerasenan called for the value addition of coconuts to be done in the district, especially at the coconut trade centre in Pattukkottai.