For first time in history, no coconut auction held at Sabarimala; TDB suffers Rs 5.5 crore loss

SABARIMALA: For the first time in the history of the pilgrimage, no coconut auction was held at Sannidhanam and Pampa. As a result, the Devaswom Board lost at least Rs 5.5 crore. This is due to the low number of pilgrims over the Covid situation. The auction took place last season but there was no big competition. Three days after the launch, no one was willing to bid, despite a 50 percent reduction in the scheduled rate. Raw coconuts are weighed and sold daily for a fixed amount now.

The contractor did not pay, citing losses due to a shortage of pilgrims last season. With this the auction was cancelled. The contractor then bought the coconuts which were weighed and given by the Devaswom manager on a daily basis.

Kerafed won the copra auction during the 2019-20 season. They had made a profit of around Rs 2 crore. It is customary to collect the coconuts, ghee coconut halves and the coconuts rolled at Malikapuram and turn them into copra at Sannidhanam. About 300 workers turned coconut into copra. However, the contractors say that if so many workers are brought in, there won't be enough coconuts in accordance with that in the current situation.

Bid amount received by Devaswom Board

2018 - 19 - 6.87 crore

2019 - 20 - 5.16 crore

2020-21 - 1.05 crore

This auction did not take place this time