Coconut Development Board

The Coconut Development Board was established in 1981, after Government of India abolished the erstwhile Directorate of Coconut Development formed during 1966. The Coconut Development Board (CDB) implements programmes for the Integrated Development of Coconut Industry.

3.3.6.1. Objectives

The objectives of the Coconut Development Board are as follows:

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• Bringing additional areas under coconut in both traditional as well as non traditional states.

• Creating infrastructure facilities for the production and distribution of quality planting material.

• Demonstration of scientific coconut cultivation in non traditional areas

• Enhancing farm level income by improving the productivity of coconut holdings through promotion of integrated farming practices promoting product diversification, byproduct utilization, value addition and strengthening of market promotion and market intelligence.

In addition to the regular programmes, Board also launched a Technology Mission in January 2002 with a view to bringing about synergy among numerous ongoing programmes and ensuring adequate, appropriate and timely attention to all the links in the production, post harvesting and consumption chains.

3.3.6.2 Programmes

The Board has been implementing various programmes from the 3rd year of the VI Plan (1982-83) for achieving the goals of enhancing production and productivity of coconut in the country and ensuring remunerative price for coconut and coconut products. The programmes being implemented by the Board at present are given below:

i) Production and distribution of planting material: This scheme has 4 components, which are (i) Production and distribution of planting materials (ii) Aid to private coconut nurseries (iii) Production and distribution of Tall and Dwarf hybrid seeds and (iv) Establishment of Regional Coconut Nurseries

• Area Expansion Programme: The Area Expansion Programme which has been under implementation since 1982-83, has been continued in all the subsequent Five Year Plans. Currently Rs.8000/- per ha is being provided as subsidy to farmers who plant at least minimum of 10 seedlings. Subsidy is available up to a maximum extent of 4 ha under this scheme.

• Integrated Farming for Productivity Improvement: This scheme has the following three components which are (i) Management of disease affected palms (ii) Laying out of Demonstration Plots and (iii) Assistance for organic manure units

• Technology Demonstration

• Market Promotion and Statistics

• Information and Information Technology

• Technology Mission on Coconut: The Technology Mission was launched during January 2002 is designed to promote diversification and value addition in the coconut sector. The other programmes envisaged in the Mission are Market promotion and market expansion.

Details of programmes and cost norms are given in Annexure 3.6.

3.3.6.3 Budgetary allocations

Against an outlay of Rs. 175.0 crores to the Coconut Development Board for various Schemes

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including Technology Mission on Coconut, an expenditure of Rs. 127.7 crores (86%) has been incurred. An analysis of the expenditure incurred by the Coconut Development Board reveals that maximum expenditure has been on Integrated Farming (56%), followed by Area Expansion Programme (11.%), Technology Mission (8.%), Production and Distribution of planting materials (6%) and Technology Demonstration and Market Promotion (2%).

3.3.6.4 Achievements

Major achievements of the Boards during the plan period are as follows:

• Increased production of coconuts. Production level expected to reach 14,370 as against target of 15,000 million nuts by the end of X Plan.

• Increased productivity of coconuts. Productivity expected to go up from 6,709 (IX Plan) to 7,358 nuts per ha by the end of X Plan.

• Infrastructure created for production of 57 lakh seedlings through public and private partnership

• The Technology Mission on Coconut has succeeded in taking effective action for pest and disease management particularly in the case of Eriophyid mite, root-wilt and leaf eating caterpillar.

• Established a Quality Control Laboratory, which will have NABL accreditation.

• Market promotion led to market expansion to the Gulf region and also non-traditional areas in the domestic markets.

• Consumption of tender nuts increased from 10-15%

• 1758 copra dryers for processing 285 million nuts installed as a quality improvement initiatives.

• 24 integrated processing units promoted with processing capacity of 95 million nuts.

• New value added products such as packed tender nut water, coconut milk powder, coconut vinegar, etc. launched in the market.

• Value addition resulted in increase and stabilization of farm gate price of coconut.

3.3.6.5 Constraints

Major constraints that are contributing to slow growth of the sector are as follows:

i) Technical

• Decreasing size of operational holdings and the lack of economies of scale.

• High incidence of senile and unproductive palms.

• Practice of traditional monoculture under rain-fed conditions.

• Sudden and unforeseen investment for combating biotic and a-biotic stresses.

ii) Infrastructure

• Slow pace of value addition and by-product utilization.

• Lack of farm mechanization particularly in the post harvest management stage.

3.3.6.6 Suggestions

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i) Technical

• Production of quality seedling of the recommended varieties by establishing seed gardens in different coconut areas including imparting training on scientific method of quality seedling production.

• Productivity improvement through farmers/ community participation to meet global challenges.

• Replanting and rejuvenation of coconut palms.

• Bridge the gap between demand and supply of quality planting material.

• Reduce dependency of coconut industry on copra and coconut oil and increased focus on tender coconut.

• Special emphasis on dwarf and hybrid varieties.

• Bringing more area under varieties suited for tender nut water.

• Product diversification/ by-products utilization and value addition.

• Promoting farm level processing and marketing.

• Productivity improvement through nutrient management

• Community based initiatives for organic farming, production of bio-fertilizer, bio control, training in harvesting and post harvesting etc.

ii) Infrastructural

• Promotion of Primary Processing and Marketing

• Quality improvement programme iii) Finance

• Corpus Fund for pest control iv) Policy

• Tree life insurance and welfare scheme for coconut climbers.

• Welfare scheme for farmers and workers 3.3.6.7 Conclusion

The porgrames of the Board need to continue after incorporating the following suggestions:

• On a review of the ongoing programmes of the Board it is recommended to restrict implementation of certain programmes in certain geographical areas and merge some of the schemes in order to remove overlap between regular schemes and Technology Mission on Coconut. The programmes proposed for discontinuance in traditional areas are as follows:

‰ Regional Coconut Nursery;

‰ Production of hybrid seedlings;

‰ Expansion of Area under Coconut

‰ Laying of Demonstration Plots – (one of the components of Integrated Farming).

• The discontinuance of schemes of Regional Coconut Nursery and Production of hybrid

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seedlings is recommended as adequate support has been provided to the State Governments in traditional areas over the years, matching share is most often not provided by the State Governments. Hence utilization of the funds becomes difficult.

Lastly, private sector participation in production of planting material is picking up.

• The discontinuation of schemes titled Expansion of Area under Coconut and Laying of Demonstration Plots is recommended, as there is very little area for further expansion of coconut cultivation in the traditional states.

• Need of traditional states which have old gardens is replanting rather than expansion.

Laying of Demonstration Plot will be more useful to the farmers in non-traditional states.

However, it is recommended to continue the programmes titled Regional Coconut Nursery; Expansion of Area under Coconut and Laying of Demonstration Plots in the non-traditional areas.

• With the introduction of Technology Mission on Coconut (TMOC) there are overlappings between the following regular programmes of the Board and the components in TMOC.

The following schemes are also implemented in one form or the other under TMOC.

o Market Promotion and Statistics

o Information and Information Technology

• In order to remove the overlap it is proposed to bring all Market Promotion activities under Technology Mission and under the scheme titled Information and Information Technology so as to cover activities such as publications, media campaigns, production of films, seminars and exhibitions within the country, statistics and training, etc. As a result Information and Information Technology will be part of the regular programme and Market Promotion will be redesignated as a Market Research and shall remain under the Technology Mission.

• Further the scheme Technology Demonstration will be included in the scheme Information and Information Technology, which provides for imparting training and transferring technology.

• The following programmes are proposed to be continued in the XI Plan.

o D.S.P. Farms

o Private Nurseries (Big & Small) o Organic Manure Units

o Technology Mission on Coconut

o Information and Information Technology (Renamed as Extension and Publicity) o Infrastructure and Administration