Project to promote Kuttiady coconut gets a shot in the arm

The ‘Kerasamrudhi Mission’, an ambitious project launched by the Land Use department for the development of the Kuttiady coconut, is about to get a shot in the arm in the form of collaborations with various government departments, especially tourism. The involvement of the Responsible Tourism Mission Society is expected to replicate the ‘Kumarakom model’ in Kuttiady, wherein everything associated with this elite variety of coconut palms and the orchards would unfold a bundle of tourism opportunities.

“The activities like coconut climbing, leaf plating, and coir manufacturing could be an immersive experience for tourists who visit these orchards. Besides, it would provide the value-added products from Kuttiady coconut an opening to the global market”, said Yasmin L. Rasheed, State Land Use Commissioner. The department has coined the tagline ‘Kuttiady to the World’ linking the project to tourism.

“The Kerasamrudhi project is not just about the coconut and the farmers, but the region as a whole. It involves crop development, area expansion, new technologies, GI Tag, patents, capacity building and community involvement. We will have a core group for scaling up processing techniques, coming out with new products from coconut and revived export strategies,” Ms. Rasheed said. The Kunnummal block, where this variety of coconut is mainly cultivated, has a unique geography and microclimate, which would factor in while promoting it as a tourist destination.

A coconut army has been formed in the block to bridge the gaps in various sectors, such as the non-availability of coconut climbers, lack of technical know-how for Farmer-Producer Organisations and manufacturing of value-added products.

“The Coconut Development Board is leading the process, financial and technological, to obtain a GI (Geographical Indication) tag for the Kuttiady coconut. Meanwhile, Nabard has stepped in to provide credit linkages for the orchards. The framework for the project is complete. It can be implemented as soon as we establish the collaborations on paper,” Ms. Rasheed said.

The Kunnummal block panchayat is the implementing agency for the project, while the Land Use department is coordinating it. The project may be operational from January 2026 and would take around eight years to be fulfilled.