the goan I network
PANAJI
After onion, yet another staple ingredient in Goan kitchens, the coconut, is slowly but surely getting priced beyond the reach of the common man in Goa’s markets.
A full size coconut is being sold at anywhere between Rs 35 and Rs 50 in the local markets in coastal areas but the farmers/horticulturists aren’t the ones benefiting. According to them, they continue to fetch just about Rs 10 to 15 per nut from the wholesalers. “We still supply coconuts with the rates of Rs 10 to 15. But it is farther chain of middlemen which contributes to prices increasing in the local markets. Farmers are not getting any benefit of it”, said leading horticulturist Madhav Sahakari.
Head of farmers club in Chorao, Premanand Mhambre also agrees with Sahakari on the role of middlemen in jacking up prices.
Mahambre, however, added that some part of the blame for coconut prices rising should be borne by the fact that there is a decline in coconut production for various reasons. He attributed the decline in production to attack by pests and vermins, especially in the Western Ghats area.
“Attacks by mites have been affecting the crop for the last 10-12 years,” said Mhambre.
The shooting up of coconut prices generally occurs in December, January and February in Goa, which was once known as a leading coconut producing State of the country.
Last year, the State government had intervened in providing manpower to pluck coconut and also selling coconuts at subsidised rates. The administration has also increased its efforts to bring more land under cultivation with high yielding coconut varieties.
Exploitation of tender coconuts for the tourism industry is also seen as another factor contributing to the decline of coconut production.
Traders come to farmers and pick their tender coconuts and farmers prefer to give away tender coconuts as it fetches them a much higher price of Rs 20 to 25.
“These traders come with pluckers and provide a good rate for the tender nuts. This further adds to shortage of coconuts in the tourism season,” Mhambre said.
Coconut is a must have input in Goan cooking and consumers are not happy with the rising prices. Large-sized coconuts in the Mapusa market were available on Sunday at prices between Rs 40-50 and the smaller ones were going for Rs 20-30.
Farmers get up to Rs 40 per tender coconut as compared to the Rs 10-20 per mature nut after harvesting. So it is profitable for the farmers to sell tender coconuts no one is complaining, even if its current pricing has pushed it beyond the reach of the common man.
