Five recent news items

[Hugh Harries]

Coconut now sells cheaper than egg Economic Times Time was when an egg sold for Re 1 and a coconut commanded Rs 10, but that price equation has been turned on its head, with a coconut becoming cheaper than ... See all stories on this topic Coconut mindset a bar to progress The Australian INDIGENOUS people who are seen to succeed in the mainstream world are sometimes labelled a coconut (white on the inside, black on the outside) or token ... See all stories on this topic H20 goes CoCoNuts Albany Times Union Just because coconuts are a natural, healthy product it doesn't mean that these drinks are natural, healthy and are a good idea to drink on a regular basis. ... See all stories on this topic Allergy Warning: The ITER Fusion Facility Contains Coconuts Gizmodo.com But before that can even ever happen, there's a need for a massive amount of coconut-shell charcoal which'll absorb byproducts of thermonuclear reactions. ... See all stories on this topic Kerala's coconut oil gives it diabetes? | News , Daily News Updates By NDTV News - India At many of Kerala's clinics, a chart warns of different oils and how much saturated fat they contain. At the very top of that list, sits Coconut Oil. And... News , Daily News Updates - http://birlaa.com/news/

[Murugappan Velayudham]

It is true that the price fluctuation in Coconut is unmanageable and mostly affect the farming group economically. It is more so in the case of small and marginal farm size Coconut farmers whose livelihood solely dependent on income from Coconut as is the case with Coconut farmers of East Coast of Tamil Nadu state of India. The Tamil Nadu Government has announced a minimum support price based solution to the problem by which the farmers are required to value add to convert their produce into Copra and sell it in procurement centers supported by the Government. However, this solution looks in practice not easily adoptable for the following reasons. There is no inbuilt collective action that will ensure empowerment of farmers for collective supervision and bargaining in the forward linkage of the mechanism. To derive benefit from coconut farming ( or for the matter of fact farming with any crop) the farmers have to have a collective action or otherwise exploitation can not be avoided. Price fluctuation is in the Indian farmers sense is nothing but exploitation whether it is done intentionally or by a system of market force.

The solution to the problem shall have an approach of organizing farmers on a business platform as in the case of a " Producer Company" under the ambit of Indian Company Act where they can value add to their produce in an industry and market the value added product in the market wherever there is market place for it. In case the "Producer Company" so established does not indent to invest and run the business they have their liberty to make alliance with any other business firms and share the profit through an MoU with the company that intends to do the business. With coconut there are lot of products from which one can choose their product of their choice based on marketability, profitability and feasibility to do their business.

To end my writing on this topic I indent to propose slogans. Egg price fluctuates but not the omlet price. Coconut price fluctuates but not coconut oil price. Therefore a one step value addition that is done collectively by the farmers ensures income sustainability to the farming community. This is true with any crop and this proposal indirectly makes agricultural proposition as a business venture.   

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With Regards,
Dr.V.Murugappan
Former Director
Center for Soil & Crop Management Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003
Ph(R): 91-422-2426354
Cell: 9443764999

[David Lobo]

While I agree with Dr. Velayudham in principle,  the most important factor has been left out.  Productivity is actually the final answer.  Getting an yield in India, of 60 to 90 nuts  per palm per annum, leaves little or no margin for profit or fluctuations.  Getting an yield of 200 nuts per annum,  results in huge profits most years with a lessening of profit when prices fall and most make losses!  I know hundreds of farmers achieving 200 nuts plus per palm per annum.  One needs to do what they are doing to make a dramatic change and quickly, to ones profits. If you wish to know more, do contact M. Murali to whom I am sending a cc of this note.
David Lobo

2009/11/2 Murugappan Velayudham <v.murug...@gmail.com>

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[Hugh Harries]

David

You say that there are hundreds of farmers achieving 200 nuts plus per palm per annum and that getting 60 to 90 nuts  per palm per annum, leaves little or no margin for profit.

Would you agree that there are possibly thousands of farmers who are NOT achieving 200 nuts and even MORE farmers who get LESS than 60 to 90 nuts  per palm per annum?

What I think one needs to do, and perhaps what they are doing, to make a dramatic change and quickly, to one's profits, is to plant 12-18 month seedlings of a small-fruited DxT hybrid in first class growing conditions, with adequate water and balanced fertilizer supplied for 4-5 years vegetative growth, possibly with supplementary pollination when female flowers become receptive. Yield would be maximised in the first year of fruiting but production would regress annually thereafter. The overheads would be high if water and fertilizer supplies, weed control etc are maintained, and overall productivity would decline as increased height made harvesting more laborious.

Whether a nut would cost more or less than a chickens egg might depend on government price control, since low prices to consumers wins more votes than high prices to producers.

Hugh

2009/11/3 David Lobo <davi...@gmail.com>