Karnataka, not Kerala, is India's coconut capital
Even Tamil Nadu's production was bigger, pushing Kerala to the third place.
Kerala is often referred to as the 'Land of the Coconuts' and has stood tall dominating coconut production in the country since 2016
However, all this is all set to change as Karnataka seems to have overtaken Kerala in coconut production to become India’s leading coconut producer in the last couple of years.
Kerala coconut production dips
According to data from the Centre's Coconut Development Board (CDB), Karnataka produced 595 crore coconuts in 2022-23, while Kerala's production stood at 563 crore.
Now, the CDB's provisional data for the first two quarters of the 2023-24 fiscal year showed that Kerala has slipped further, said a Times of India report.
During this period, Karnataka churned out 726 crore coconuts, while Kerala's output was limited to 564 crore. Even Tamil Nadu's production was bigger with 578 crore coconuts pushing Kerala to the third place.
Karnataka now contributes 28.5 per cent of India's coconut production.
Watch: 'Farming for a fee': Enabling transition of smallholder farmers from agriculture
Weekend agriculture fad
CDB officials attribute the surge in coconut production in Karnataka to the ‘weekend agriculture' fad that has caught on among young people in the state.
According to this trend, many individuals who have city jobs engage in farming activities in the weekends, which has helped to boost coconut production in the state. They adopt better framing techniques and maintain their coconut orchards better, said the officials.
This is happening especially in the three districts of Tumakuru, Hassan, and Mandya, which end up contributing more than 80 per cent of Karnataka's coconut production. These young farmers deploy quality cultivation practices and also get help on advanced farming methods from institutions such as the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research in Hesaraghatta, which has increased their yields.
Kerala production slumps
Meanwhile, Kerala’s coconut production has slumped over the past few years. According to experts, this is because the coconut cultivation area has shrunk to 7.59 lakh hectares from 9.25 lakh hectares from 2000-01 to 2023-24.
At the same time, Karnataka expanded its cultivation area from 3.33 lakh hectares to 7.33 lakh hectares.
Moreover, Kerala tussles with crop management and tourism has also impacted the production.