Coconut growers face hard times as West Asia tensions hit export orders

Coconut growers in the central districts have been unable to fulfil export orders to countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as the conflict in West Asia enters the third week.

Farmers say the cancellation of shipments to the GCC (comprising of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, the UAE, and Bahrain) have caused a glut and fall in prices in the local market.

“Before the war, our coconuts used to fetch ₹24 per piece locally. Since the first week of March, they are selling between ₹16 to ₹18. Besides partially husked coconuts, export orders for coir pith fibre, used as an alternative to peat moss, have been hit badly. The ‘mattai’ [coconut husk] that used to sell for ₹2 apiece, has lost its market value,” S.V. Kumarasu, of the Nakkeerar Coconut Collective Farmer Producer Company, told The Hindu.

The company groups at least 1,500 coconut farmers from 15 villages in Alangudi taluk of Pudukottai district.

Coconut farmers in Thanjavur district too are faced with a crop surplus due to the closure of international shipping in recent weeks. “Over 1,000 of our farmers in the delta districts are waiting for the situation to improve. If the current crop of coconuts is not sold within the next few months, it will get dried and processed for oil,” said A. Kamal Basha of the Tamil Nadu Coconut Growers Association in Thanjavur.

K. Adaikalam, management committee member of East Coast Coconut Producers Federation, Pattukottai, urged the government to step in and ensure a fair price to farmers.

“In the current scenario, value addition to the coconut crop should become a priority. Besides mediating for a fair price from private oil mills, the authorities could consider promoting the use of virgin coconut oil and the processing of dessicated coconut. The ban on toddy could be lifted to help farmers recoup their losses,” he said.