The Hindu : New coconut farming technologies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 21, 2003

National

National

New coconut farming technologies

By G. Venkataramani

V. Rajagopal

CHENNAI SEPT. 20. "The awareness and adoption of improved coconut farming technologies among farmers in other coconut-growing countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam and Sri Lanka are comparatively high when compared to our farmers. The diverse coconut-based products in these countries enhance the farm income, and our farmers should take the lead from them," says V. Rajagopal, director, Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, Kerala.

Dr. Rajagopal, who attended the ADB-funded conference on "Poverty Reduction in Coconut Growing Communities' in Davao, Philippines, from August 20 to 24, says that CPCRI has launched an interface programme with scientists, extension agencies, development departments and the farmers to create more awareness about the improved farming technologies and value-addition to coconut products, and it has been working very well. In India, three coconut communities from Ariyankuppam in Pondicherry and Pallikare and Vayalar in Kerala are actively participating in the `Poverty Eradication' programme, and their progressive work was shared with those drawn from seven other countries during the international conference, according to him.

The various income-gathering techniques for the benefit of poor coconut growers are being demonstrated with the direct involvement of the growers in the form of community-based organisations.

The major technologies such as intercropping in the coconut groves with vegetables and high-value crops, value-addition to coconut products, both edible and non-edible and organic farming package for growing coconut, are being popularised by CPCRI through this novel, integrated programme. The income-enhancing technologies are transferred through well-structured training programmes, with focus on rural women and unemployed, educated youth, according to Dr. Rajagopal.

The institute has developed effective drought-management strategies to mitigate the impact of moisture stress on the crop. A low-cost and integrated pest management package to save the crop from eriophyid mite has been developed by CPCRI.

Dr. Rajagopal has introduced a pioneering programme of taking the scientists to farmers' holdings to get the right remedies for the field problems. Value-addition to coconut products and enhancing the farm income through diversification of the products are the other areas of particular interest to CPCRI. For its outstanding contributions in the field of plantation crops, the institute has won the "Sardar Patel Outstanding ICAR Institute-2002", according to Dr. Rajagopal.

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