Rajkot: Thanks to the health benefits provided, raw coconut juice and meat in high demand during the second wave of Covid.
One bean is used to take around RS 60-80 in the retail market.
Farmers in the Gir Somnath and Junagadh District, the main supplier of plants, made a decomposed fortune because they got almost Rs 30 per coconut.
But many things have changed since then.
Farmers now suffer big losses.
Not only a decrease in demand, they have been hit by many factors.
Damage caused by Tauktae Typhoon, turning infreding plants and climate change that causes fruits to fall prematurely has added a cup of tribulation of farmers who are growing coconut.
All of these factors resulted in income from the average farmer which dropped by almost 90%.
According to scientists and farmers, Tauktae Typhoon causes great damage in areas such as Rajula, Jafrabad, Una and DIU.
But in other places like Veraval, Sutrapada, Talala and Mangrol lost it much less – around 5%.
D K Varu Head of the Department of Fruit Sciences at Agricultural University Junagadh (JAU) pegged an average loss in coconut production to around 30%.
“There are several reasons for that, one becomes damage caused by a typhoon in certain bags.
Spiral Whitfly is too damaging the plants in the past year and the third is climate change.” The percentage of fruit arrangements has declined since the last few years due to climate change.
For example, Chorwad is the most suitable place for coconut trees but even there we get fruit complaints falling, “said Varu.
Arjan Barad, a coconut farmer in the Gir Somnath district, said that White infection has produced enormous production losses.” Nothing Pesticide mass spark program by the government.
The price of falling nuts and production also goes down, which I produce by selling nuts is not enough to recover the cost of pesticides, electrical bills or labor costs, “said Barad.
Previously, Barad harvested 1,500 beans per month which had dropped to only 300 beans now .
He used to get Rs 30 per nut during the second wave Covid and generate Rs 45,000 per month.
Income monthly now was Rs 3,000.
Covid is an exceptional situation, said Barad added, “Usually, year-round farmers get Rs 20 per nut.” Veda Naran, an agent who buys coconut in the name of the merchant, then explains the reason for the price decline.
He said, “The price of a diesel skyrocketing and transportation costs is very high.
Traders are unable to send coconuts to other countries so they do not buy them from farmers.
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Climate change, insects hit hard coconut farmers
