COIMBATORE: Coconut farmers in Coimbatore district have been caught in an existential crisis as 28 lakh coconut trees spread across 40,000 acres in the district may have to be felled in the next two years due to Kerala root wilt disease infestation.
While the price of coconut has increased from Rs 18-Rs 19/kg in 2023 to Rs 55/kg now, a record three-fold jump in two years, due to the fall in cultivation area because of felling of trees, the cutting exercise too has cast a huge financial burden on farmers.
Currently, the government provides a compensation of Rs 32,000/hectare for cutting and replanting trees but the actual cost of the exercise is Rs 12.5 lakh per hectare (almost 40 times more), say farmers. It will also take at least three to five years for the crops to start producing yield.
“Spread across 12 lakh acres in 29 districts, Tamil Nadu has the second largest area under coconut cultivation in India after Karnataka. The total crop area in Coimbatore alone is 2.10 lakh acres. Coconut is the second largest oil crop after groundnut in TN,” said Esan Murugasamy, founder of Tamilaga Vivasayigal Pathukappu Sangam.
Coconut yield fell in TN by 60% due to root wilt
“But the state has been badly hit because of the rapid spread of the Kerala wilt disease since 2019. As there are no preventive measures to control the disease, the infection caused by a phytoplasma has been ravaging acres of coconut farms in the state,” added Esan Murugasamy.
“The disease has been successfully eradicated in Kerala where it started but in TN, the horticulture department has not taken any concerted effort. For the last six years, the researchers of the TN Agricultural University have been wasting their time by continuously taking government funds without coming up with proper remedial measures.
The production has decreased by nearly 60% due to the disease,” he said. T Rathina Sabapathi, Joint Secretary of South India Coconut Growers Association, Pollachi, said, “All farms in Aliyar near Pollachi have been affected by the root wilt disease. Once a tree gets infected, the entire farm will be ravaged in no time. To remove affected trees in an acre, farmers spend a minimum of Rs 2 lakh to cut the trees and Rs 3 lakh for replantation. The present compensation is not sufficient.”
P Jeevenantham, a trader who procures coconuts from farmers in Pollachi, said, “The price was Rs 18-19 per kg in 2023. Due to the disease, the yield has reduced drastically. Normally, we collect 2,000 coconuts in an acre. Now, it has dropped to 800 coconuts. This has caused the price to increase to an all-time high of Rs 55 per kg. It may rise further if the yield continues to fall.”
P Siddharthan, deputy director of horticulture department, said, “No drug is available to cure affected trees. Depending on the disease spread, we split affected farms into four stages. In the first stage, trees show symptom. In the second, yield starts falling. In the third and fourth stage, trees cannot be saved.
Farmers are recommended to provide nutrients and organic drug to strengthen the trees to recover from the spread. As per current norms, farmers are given Rs 1,000 per tree as compensation and it is paid for a maximum 32 trees per hectare. We have urged the government to increase this compensation.”