CDB Celebrating 24th World Coconut Day on 2nd September 2022

KOCHI:
Coconut Development Board is organizing this year’s World Coconut Day celebrations at Junagadh, Gujarat and Kochi, Kerala. Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture will inaugurate this year’s world coconut day celebration at Junagadh.Gujarat. The Union Minister will also inaugurate the State Centre of the Board at Bahumali Bhavan, Junagadh, Gujarat and will declare the National Awardees and Export Excellence Awardees of the Board and virtually address the farmers. and will declare the National Awardees and Export Excellence Awardees of the Board and will address the farmers which will be live casted in the programme scheduled at Kochi, Kerala. The programme will be followed by a farmer’s seminar on Good Agriculture Practices in Coconut and Marketing.. Around 1000 coconut farmers and officials will attend the programme scheduled at Junagadh Agricultural University.

Kailash Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare will virtually address the farmers in the programme scheduled at at Hotel Le Meridien, Kochi on 2nd September 2022. Dr. N Vijayalakshmi, Chairperson, Coconut Development Board will distribute the National Awards and Export Excellence Awards of the Board during the occasion.

Hibi Eden, MP, Ernakulam, K. Babu, MLA, Thripunitura, Antony Assamparambil, Chairman, Maradu Muncipality and Dr. Jelfina C Alouw, Executive Director, International Coconut Community, Indonesia will be the Guests of Honour during the programme. Around 500 coconut farmers from across the country and senior officials from the Department of Agriculture/ Horticulture and Agricultural Universities from all coconut growing states are being invited to attend the World Coconut day Celebrations.

In India, every year World Coconut Day is celebrated under the aegis of Coconut Development Board. The theme announced by ICC for World Coconut Day 2022 is “Growing Coconut for a Better Future and Life”.This year, World Coconut Day coincides with the International Workshop on Good Agricultural Practices, which is being organized jointly by Government of India and International Coconut Committee during 2-4 September 2022, at Hotel Le Meridien. Kochi, Kerala. The International Workshop will have the presence of experts from over seven major coconut growing countries.

All coconut growing countries in the Asia and Pacific region observe 2 nd September, the foundation day of the International Coconut Community (ICC), an intergovernmental organization, as World Coconut Day, every year. The objective of observing coconut day is to create increased awareness and importance of coconut and help focus national and international attention to this crop.

Coconut is cultivated in 19 states and three union territories in an extent of 2.11 million ha. The adoption of scientific agricultural practices in coconut has contributed to India being the leader in the world in coconut production, among major coconut producing countries. The productivity of coconut in India is also high. The crop contributes more than Rs.30,000 crores annually to the national GDP and earns valuable foreign exchange by way of export of coconut products including coir. The total export of coconut and coir products during 2021-22 reached 950 million USD, a remarkable export from a single crop. The crop sustains about 12 million farmers of the country and extends livelihood support to more than 30 million through cultivation, processing, marketing and trade related activities.

Kerala is known as the land of coconuts, the area under cultivation is 7.68 lakh hectares with a production of 479 million nuts and productivity of 6247 nuts per ha. The state tops in area under coconut and third in production in the country. Coconut is cultivated by small and marginal farmers in the state. Coconut cultivation is undertaken in all the 14 districts of the state and it is intricately woven with the culture, tradition and cuisine of the state. The major coconut growing districts are Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kannur, Thrissur and Malappuram districts accounting for nearly 60% of the area under coconut in the state. Increasing the production and productivity of coconut in the state is a thrust area towards sustainable development of the sector in the state.

Gujarat is the eighth largest producer of coconut in the country which has an area of 24997 ha under coconut cultivation, a production of 213.52 million nuts and a productivity of 8542 nuts per hectare. Districts like Kutch, Junagadh, Bhavnagar and Gir Somnath have recorded productivity more than the national average of 9430 nuts per hectare. Among the 33 districts, coconut is cultivated in 20 districts in Gujarat.