The situation of shifting the coconut seedling production center of the Coconut Development Board in Neryamangalam, Kochi to Gujarat is the latest example of the severe neglect faced by coconut cultivation sector and coconut farmers in our state of Kerala, which even the poet P Bhaskaran envisioned as the land of coconut. The headquarters of the board in Kochi, which is a central government institution, is under threat of seizure.

While coconut cultivation in Kerala is declining, the reason for the spread of coconut cultivation in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Bihar is the work of the Coconut Development Board. The reason for the headquarters of the Coconut Development Board, which was started in 1981 under the Union Ministry of Agriculture, to be located in Kerala was our dominance in this region. It must be said that the successive Kerala governments have not utilized the Coconut Development Board properly. Only a small part of the board's funds is currently being spent in Kerala. The state has not been able to purchase the entire amount that is allocated. We reported last year that the funds received were not utilized and were returned.

In 1997, the state government had allotted 50 acres of land to the Coconut Development Board, adjacent to the model farm of the State Agriculture Department in Kothamangalam taluk, Ernakulam, to produce high-quality coconut seedlings. Lakhs of coconut seedlings have been produced here and distributed throughout Kerala at subsidized rates. More than 60,000 seedlings are still being produced annually.

The government had given the land on lease for one rupee at that time. The lease expired in 2012. No action was taken to renew it. Board officials say that despite approaching the state with this demand several times, there was no response. With the expiry of the lease, activities and infrastructure development came to a standstill. In 2017, the Revenue Department also served a notice to the Coconut Development Board to pay a lease amount of Rs. 78 lakh. V.S. Sunilkumar, who was the Agriculture Minister at that time, intervened in the matter. He also gave a letter promising to renew the lease for one rupee. But no official action was taken.

The matter took a serious turn in January when the District Collector issued a notice to seize the headquarters of the Coconut Development Board in Kochi. The order was to pay an hefty lease amount immediately. If it is not paid within a week, it can be confiscated. The board is not ready to pay this amount. The authorities are of the opinion that if it is confiscated, then let it be done. They are also ready to close the Neriyamangalam plantation. Another thing is that coconut farming is spreading in Gujarat. Good coconut seedlings are not available there. It is understood that the Gujarat government has repeatedly asked the Coconut Development Board to establish a seed garden and that they will provide land for it.

When Kerala government says that new industries will be established in Kerala, the state government should also show not just goodwill, but also the enthusiasm to maintain already existing institutions such as this.