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Coconut cultivation extends up to
Thondamuthur in Coimbatore
and Udumalpet in Tiruppur.
| Photo Credit: M. PERIASAMY
Walking down the streets of Hyderabad during a recent visit, V.
Thangaraj, a coconut farmer from Coimbatore, inquired about the prices of tender coconut varieties in the city. He could not hide his smile on learning that the rate for the greenish stock of tender coconuts, sourced from Pollachi, the picturesque habitat in his native district, was pricier than the other varieties. The vendor explained to him that the water and tender pulp of this variety had a unique sweetness with a tinge of sourness.
Pollachi tender coconuts are smaller, with each nut weighing 2.25 kg to 2.50 kg, and mostly have a minimum of 450 ml of water. Buyers often prefer the Pollachi elaneer to other varieties.
‘Pollachi’ is derived from the words ‘ Pozhil Vaitchi’, meaning ‘gifted with beauty’, a coconut town. The plain regions east of the Western Ghats produce about 80,000 to 1 lakh tender coconuts a day. The cultivation of the coconut crop extends beyond Pollachi town to Thondamuthur in Coimbatore and Udumalpet in Tiruppur district.
Outside of Tamil Nadu and its neighbouring States, the coconuts are sent to Mumbai, New Delhi and Rishikesh. T. Sabapathy of the South India Coconut Growers Association (SICGA) points out that soil content and salubrious climatic conditions are the primary reasons for the quality of tender coconuts that the Pollachi belt produces. The sweet and sour mix in right proportion is the reason for the success of Pollachi coconuts. NKG Ananda Kumar, president of the agriculture wing of the Pollachi Chamber of Commerce, recalls the glorious times of coconut cultivation that reflected in the tinsel media when Pollachi used to be a go-to location for shootings. He fondly recollects the shooting of Chinna Gounder that was a box-office hit. The region faced a grim situation with coconut cultivation suffering from late 2013 to 2016 because of the drought. But, after 2016, a majority of the area is back into coconut cultivation.
The popular tender coconut varieties of Pollachi include West Coast Tall, East Coast Tall, DJ, Chowkad Orange known as COD ( Sevvilani ), Malaysian Dwarf, Vietnam Dwarf, Dwarf Tall and
Gangabondam. Other varieties were introduced by the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, and the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) Coconut Research Stations at Aliyar near Coimbatore and Veppankulam near Pattukottai .
The CPCRI had released Chandra Sankara, Chandra Kalpa and Chandra Vilpa and the TNAU at Aliyar had released Aliyar 1 and 2 known as ‘ nettai’ variety for coconuts and Aliyar 3 for tender coconut. The Coconut Research Station at Veppankulam had released VHC 1, 2 and 3 in 1982, 1988 and 2000, all tall varieties for coconut, and VPM 3, 4 and 5, all hybrid varieties for tender coconuts, says K. Venkatesan, Professor and Head, Department of Spices and Plantation Crops, Horticulture College of TNAU.
Many are hybrid varieties that produce 15-30 tender coconuts once every 28 days. Of them, Dwarf Tall, DJ, and COD are the most sought-after. Gangabondam, lengthy in size, is considered the best. Tender coconut water is regarded a pure and tasty energy drink with rich vitamins, minerals, glucose, fructose and proteins and has high potassium content and anti-oxidants. Potassium content helps keep the kidneys healthy and acts as a diuretic to flush the extra water out of the body and is also believed to play a role in preventing kidney stone formation. The consumption pattern is going up steadily, and the production is commensurate with the consumption. The reason is that the farm gate price of tender coconut is ₹22-₹25 and the highest is up to ₹28. Prices would fall by two to three rupees during the rainy season and pick up again by January-end. Thattur Krishnasamy Gounder of the SICGA points out that coconut prices are at rock bottom of ₹8 to ₹11, but tender coconut prices remain stable.
The demand for corporate consumption of packed tender coconut water in tetra packs remains at 18%-22%. The rest are all domestic and unorganised consumers, says Mr. Anandakumar. He is of the opinion that if corporate consumption goes up, there will be more consumers for tender coconut.
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