Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: Goa’s coconut plantations are producing an estimated 5,625 nuts per hectare, Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik said, even as the state continues to import both mature and tender coconuts to meet rising demand from the booming tourism and hospitality sector.
Naik said the estimated area under coconut cultivation for 2024-25 is 26,807 hectares, yielding a total production of 150.79 million nuts. Despite the coconut palm being Goa’s State Tree, Naik admitted that imports have become necessary, with figures for the past five years placed before the House.
The minister attributed declining productivity in certain areas to ageing plantations, pest infestations, shortage of skilled labour, and conversion of agricultural land. The government is offering subsidies for removing senile palms, replanting, pest control, and mechanisation of harvesting. Coconut pluckers are also made available through the Goa State Horticulture Corporation.
Other measures include distributing seedlings to MLAs and MPs to encourage planting, providing an assured price of ₹15 per nut, extending ₹50,000 per hectare for plantation expansion, and covering 25% of coconut climbers’ insurance premiums under the Kera Suraksha scheme.
However, Naik said no formal study has been conducted on the impact of imports on local farmers or market prices.
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