Nut costs Rs 25 now due to drought, exports
Coconuts stacked and ready for sale in a shop at Cross Cut Road wholesale market, Coimbatore. (Photo: DC/File)
Coimbatore: In the coconut land of Coimbatore, coconut chutneys have become a priced delicacy. Coconuts, which normally cost about Rs 10, are now priced at not less than Rs 25 in many retail shops. Prices are expected to further zoom up by next week as the Sabarimala Ayyappa season is set to begin.
A drastic dip in coconut production in the sprawling farms of Coimbatore and Tirupur district is the prime reason behind skyrocketing coconut prices. Of the 1 crore coconut trees cultivated in the sprawling groves of Pollachi and Udumulpet, about 50 per cent have dried up due to drought and infestation of pests, say farmers’ associations. Besides, exports of Coimbatore coconuts to Gulf countries have picked up, leading to the drastic spike in their prices.
“Coimbatore and Tirupur districts, the hub for coconut trees, witnessed low productivity of nuts as a significant majority of the trees have dried up due to drought. Until the recent rains, farmers were buying water in tankers, paying up to '1,000 per load to save the drying coconut trees,” said T.A. Krishnasamy, president of South India Coconut Growers Association.
Moreover, the growers have also found a new market for coconut in the Gulf countries. “As almost 75 per cent of coconut groves in neighbouring Kerala were affected by an infectious disease causing a dip in production, coconut growers in Tamil Nadu have started to tap the potential of the export market by sending coconuts to the Gulf countries. This has led to a constant increase in the price of coconuts. Further, coconut bearing in trees will also be low from September to January,” said Krishnasamy.
Coconut growers are now selling the nuts to wholesale merchants at Rs 16, Rs 17 and Rs 18, depending on the size of the nut. “A month ago, these coconuts were sold for Rs 13, Rs 14 and RS 15,” Krishnasamy said.
T. Chandran, a merchant in the Cross Cut road wholesale market, said he sells 1 kg of coconut for Rs 30. “If the nuts are small, they are sold at different prices at around Rs 20. As the Ayyappa pilgrims season is set to begin, it will cause further increase in prices,” he said.
In many middle-class households, coconut chutneys are off the dinner table. T. Gayathri, a homemaker and a resident of Ram Nagar, said she had brought down the use of coconut in her food items due to high costs. “Nowadays, I don’t make coconut chutneys often,” she said. Eateries are struggling to keep the delicious coconut chutneys, a perfect sidedish for idli, dosa and upma, on their menu list.
Honorary president of the Tamil Nadu Hotels Association, M. Ravi, said the hotel industry has been struggling to cope with the increasing prices of coconut and other vegetables. “We cannot increase food prices as it will affect our business,” he said.
( Source : dc )
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