Coconut production in Kerala

A man collecting coconuts in Kerala

Coconut production in Kerala plays an important role in the state economy and culture of Kerala in southwestern India. Kerala is actually named after the coconut tree with "Kera" meaning Coconut tree and "Alam" meaning land so means "Land of Coconut Trees". Various terms like Copra and Coir are derived from the native Malayalam language.

By the late 1970s it accounted for some 68% of total production in India and at one stage some 899, 198 hectares were reportedly under cultivation.[1] Today Kerala produces roughly 45% of India's coconuts, with some 92% of total production lying in the southern Indian states and Kerala's neighbours. The Coconut Development Board which plays an important role in the development of coconut production in India has its headquarters in Kochi, Kerala.[2] One problem which poses a major threat to production in Kerala is Root wilt disease.[3]

Uses

In Kerala, the coconut tree is called as "Kalpa Vriksham" which essentially means all parts of a Coconut tree is useful some way or other. Cocus nucifera dominate the landscape in many parts, rising up to a height of 25m, and bearing over 50 fruits on average in a year. The trees have many uses; their leaves are used to make sheds, baskets, and doormats, the husk for making coir, the shell for making ladles and spoons, and fruits used for making hair oil or for eating. Coconut is a staple ingredient in many Kerala dishes and coconut oil is widely consumed and used to make drinks such as coconut toddy and dishes such as appam.Coconut is also used for making coconut paste which is essential for making traditional curryes.[4]

A number of places in Kerala such as Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kumarakom, Paravur, Mararikulam and Periyar offer coconut tours to visitors in their plantations, providing an insight into coconut cultivation in Kerala.

References

  1. ↑ Oommen, M. A. (1979). Kerala economy since independence. Oxford & IBH Pub. Co. pp. 48–52. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  2. ↑ Coconut Development Board
  3. ↑ Sankhyā B. Statistical Pub. Society. 1 January 1976. pp. 73–4. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  4. ↑ Osella, Filippo; Osella, Caroline (2000). Social mobility in Kerala : modernity and identity in conflict. Pluto Press. p. 235. ISBN 978-0-7453-1693-2. Retrieved 15 November 2011.

See also

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