Tender coconut prices shoot up as supplies fall

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, September 29, 2024: Coconut and tender coconut prices have surged in Mangaluru with just four days left for the Navratri festival. On September 29, retail coconut prices ranged from ₹60 to ₹65 per kg, while wholesale prices were between ₹52 and ₹55 per kg.

Tender coconuts were selling for ₹60 to ₹65 each at retail and ₹52 to ₹58 at wholesale. The price hike is attributed to reduced supply due to drought in traditional coconut-growing regions of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the spread of leaf-eating caterpillars in farms, and root wilt disease affecting coconut palms in Tamil Nadu.

S.K. Kusumadhar, president of South Canara Coconut Farmers’ Producer Company Ltd. (FPC), Puttur, said the FPC is procuring coconuts at ₹47 per kg. "The yield is down across Karnataka, which has driven up prices," he explained. Earlier this year, coconuts were priced at ₹22 to ₹23 per kg, but the shortage has caused a steady rise.

In Bengaluru, tender coconuts were selling for ₹70 each on September 26. Farmers are also harvesting tender coconuts early, contributing to a shortage of mature nuts. Although the price increase has burdened consumers, farmers are benefitting.

K. Balachandra Hebbar, Director of the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, confirmed that drought and pest issues in areas like Tumakuru, Ramanagara, and Pollachi have impacted coconut production.