Coconut grove project should be expanded

There are many reasons why Kerala is known by its name, but the most important one is that it is a land rich in coconut trees, also referred to as Kalpavriksha. Locals and foreigners describe Kerala as a beautiful state bordered by coconut groves, backwaters, and paddy fields. Kerala's coconut, husk, coir, and tender coconut water were once very popular in foreign countries. Golden, durable, and strong coir and coir products were exported in large quantities.

Handloom, coir and cashew nut industries were the sources of income for men and women in ordinary families. The life aspirations and dreams of those working in this sector were the heartbeat of the Kerala society. Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts were the centres of these small industries. The sweat and rise of the organised working class can be noticed in the literary works and songs of that time. The reality is that political parties and labour organisations only paid attention to building union strength in these sectors. The timely modernisation and mechanisation of coir products and handloom products were often late.

The Coir Corporation launched several projects to modernise the coir sector. Some of them have been successful. Many innovative projects fail to achieve sufficient success due to poor planning or a lack of diligence in implementation. The Coir Corporation's plan to set up 'Coconut Groves' is conceptually well-intentioned. This project aims to improve coconut production and husk storage. The project will be launched by planting a thousand coconut trees in Kanichukulangara, Cherthala. Although the project is being started with the cooperation of the Agriculture Department for Rs 30 lakh, it is being implemented by the Coir Corporation.

Many innovative ideas and projects are being born in Kerala. Many of them become a source of pride for Kerala due to their efficiency in implementation. However, once the success is achieved, there will be no effective supervision from the authorities to maintain and advance it. Therefore, many things will stagnate halfway. Seeing this, other states will adopt these projects and make changes according to the times and implement them. Kerala will end up in the predicament of having to import many things from other states by donating ideas. This misfortune has befallen our coconut and coir products.

The coconut groves will be modelled after Pollachi and Dindigul in Tamil Nadu. Like palm groves, they can also be used for toddy production also. The coconut grove project will be extended to revenue land, government-owned and leased lands in the coastal areas. Coconut groves suffered the most when many quick-profit crops were introduced. This project will help make them profitable again.

The project targets groves with small varieties of coconut trees that are highly productive and yield a harvest in a short period of time. Coconuts can be harvested while standing. The corporation will collect the raw hucks and coconuts from these. The coconuts will be given to cooperative societies and Kerafed for coconut oil production. Care should be taken not to let the disease of unconcern affect this project.