Karnataka - Belgaum   

A surprise package

NATURAL REFRESHMENT: Mukund Bhojannavar displaying tender coconuts, which weigh at least five kg, at the three-day Golden Jubilee Horticulture-Floriculture Show in Belgaum on Tuesday.

Belgaum: An organically grown coconut tree at Nandeeshwar village of Athani taluk is yielding coconuts of more than double the normal size of the coconuts.

The coconut, which weighs at least five kg and contains 1.5 litres of tender water, can give 500 gm of copra. It is grown in the field of Mukund Durgappa Bhojannavar. These coconuts are now on display at the three-day Golden Jubilee Horticulture-Floriculture Exhibition, which was inaugurated in Belgaum on Tuesday.

According to Mr. Bhojannavar, it is one of the nearly 30 palm trees in his field giving such large coconuts for the last 15 years. The coconuts grown on other trees in the same field are of normal size.

Assistant Horticulture Officer of Athani, Girija Kadam told The Hindu here on Tuesday that she had never seen nor heard of such a large coconut.

Mr. Bhojannavar said the tree was nearly 20 years old and started giving fruits from the fifth year onwards. The annual yield was 50 to 60 coconuts. Interestingly, some customers for this particular coconut are VIPs, including Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council H.K. Patil. “In fact, there is advance booking for every tender coconut as the water is tasty and the pulp is sweet,” Mr. Bhojannavar said.

Both Mr. Bhojannavar and Ms. Kadam, and other officials in the district horticulture department are unable to explain the phenomenon behind such abnormal growth. Only organic manure is applied and not chemicals or fertilizers for the tree.

Now, he has planned to convert some of the coconuts into seeds. He had planted about 30 seeds two years ago but, all of them were washed away in the floods.

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