With cultivation in 100 countries covering both coastal areas and inner land regions, Coconut farming has always been a favorable crop throughout the world. In Asia for countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, it is a major part for ensuring stable economic growth.
However, coconut farming in India is on another level. Even without realizing coconut agriculture’s true potential, India already produces 30% of world global supply alone. Securing its place as the leading coconut-producing country in the world.
So, if you are somebody thinking of venturing into this business, let me assure you with my decades of experience as an organic farmer in India, that coconut farming will be a game changer for any suitable farm. All you need to do is get the fundamental right and learn how to keep your coconut plantation healthy.
In this blog, I’ll dive into all the details, so let’s get started!
Is Coconut Farming in India Profitable?
Let’s start with covering the basics and understand the current rising demand in the Indian market. Throughout history, coconuts have primarily been viewed as a fruit for obtaining a refreshing drink or as a source of burnable materials for starting a fire.
However, From 2000s onward, the industrial applications primarily drove the coconuts demand. For example, VOC (virgin coconut oil) demand is incredibly high in increasing health conscious consumers in the form of soap, cosmetics, and hair oils, thanks to its vitamin richness and antioxidants. While its husks are directly used for creating fiber for various industries.
This interesting position ensures, for investors and farmers alike, coconuts farming both conventional or organic will remain quite profitable in the coming decades. In fact, given the growth trajectory of the Indian economy and consumer swift toward more health consciousness, coconuts farming is no doubt expected to rise even further.
Getting the Fundamentals Right! 6 Powerful Secrets to Success
Alright, now that you understand the market potential and profitability of setting up coconut tree farms in India. It’s time we get into the nitty-gritty details of how to do this right. There are 6 essential fundamentals you must follow to achieve good results.
Getting the Soil Right!
First and foremost, getting the soil right. While coconut trees are capable of thriving in many types of soils, the actual fruit quality and taste can take a huge hit if you go with just the ordinary type of soil.
The goal here is to ensure a pH level between 5.0 and 8.0, while also ensuring that the soil is well-drained and rich in organic matter. For that the most popular types of soil for coconut tree farming in India are; alluvial, red sandy loam, coastal sandy soil and laterite. I personally recommend you to go with red sandy loam or laterite.
Ensuring Proper Site Selection
Site selection is the most underrated part of ensuring quality control for creating a coconut farm. There are 3 specific things you need to be on the lookout for, there are clayey soils, places with hard rocks and of course anywhere with a poor drainage system.
If you are going for 200 coconuts per hectare like standard plantations, you are also going to ensure proper coconut planting distance and spacing of 7.5 × 7.5 meters between them.
Once you’re confident the site you chose does not have any issue, all you need to do is check the possible depth level. You’re gonna need at least a 1.2 to 2 meter deep spot for proper water retention and root growth in your chosen soil.
Ensuring Proper Land Preparation
Now, assuming you went with the recommended Red Loamy Soil or Laterite soil, here’s how you ensure proper plantation for them.
First, if you encounter hard soil. You need to soften it up. In Fact, it is recommended that you start 6 months prior to planting trees. All you require is to apply two kg of common salt at every pit.
It is also considered a good idea to place two layers of husk at the bottom of the pit to help conserve moisture. But first, make sure to spray BHC 10% on the husk to deter termites. Now, just place them In a concave position with side up.
- For Laterite Soil: if you select laterite soil, first ensure you have a pit of size of 1.2 x 1.2 x 1.2 meters in it. Once done, now you will need well-rotted manure, some loose soil and ash to a depth of at least 50 cm.
- For Red Loamy Soil: If you select red loamy soil, you are going to need to dig pits measuring 1 x 1 x 1 meter. Once done you just need to fill it with a topsoil ensuring 45 cm to 50 cm.
Getting The Right Seedling:
Okay, let’s move on to securing the proper seedlings before you start coconut farming in India. First and foremost, you need to wait for the month of may and June to seek the seeds. Now, if you are in an area that faces waterlogging often, you are going to need a seedling with an 18 or 2 years of growth. Otherwise, you can just go with a 1-year-old seedling with a minimum collar diameter of 10 cm.
Securing Water Needs Properly
Now, we need to talk about the average amount of water you’re going to ensure to do this right. The most crucial number here to understand is 1,500 to 2,000 liters. That’s the amount a single coconut tree requires every year. Monthly, it means a single coconut tree typically requires between 125 and 166.67 liters of water each month.
And that the number without calculating for possible dry spell one might face in the inner regions of the country, So, Don’t even think about starting coconut farming in India without properly securing water.
Climate Adjustments And Water Frequency
And last but not least, make sure you keep making adjustments for both weather and water. If you are not growing your crop in coastal areas like southern states, then you need to keep an eye out for spotting hot and dry climates. The reasoning behind this is simply, a farmer in India needs to maintain moisture level of at least 20-30% in root. If you can, you should rely on tech to check moisture using real time sensors.
- Humid Areas: In humid areas, it is recommended to reduce the frequency to every 2 weeks.
- Dry Climates: In Contrast, for optimum results, farmers should increase the water frequency every 4–8 days.
Major Struggle of Coconut Cultivation in India
Okay, Now with your tree planted and you are fulfilling its water needs. The next and in fact the more prominent step is to ensure the protection at your coconut plantation. Mainly, a coconut always stays at risk of particular illnesses, pest infection and health conditions.
There are five such issues to prepare for. Namely; infestation of rhinoceros beetle or coconut eriophyid mite, two types of rot illness bud rot and root wilt and a lack of nutrient health condition that causes flowers to drop.
Let’s go over all of them one by one.
Flower Drop Issue in Coconut Farming in India
First, let’s deal with the flower drop issue. While mostly flower drops happen in crops due to erratic weather conditions such as drought or excessive rainfall, in coconut trees it primarily happens due to nutrients not reaching the fruits. This can severely lower the yield, thus affecting farmer income.
To solve this issue, the most recommended method is to ensure the presence of basic essential nutrients in the trees: adequate nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P).
And then ensure or increase, potassium (K), which is vital for flower development and fruit set, magnesium (Mg), which aids in photosynthesis and enzyme activation, and boron (B), which is effective for pollen tube elongation and fertilization.
Just make organic or synthetic coconut tree fertilizer ready and mix with an NPK ratio of 3:1:6. Once done, simply apply this around the tree’s drip line during the rainy season for better nutrients. But make only Up to 1-2 kg coconut fertilizer per year.
Pest Management
As mentioned above, there are specific types of pest infestation that you have to keep an eye out for.
- First, Rhinoceros Beetle: Rhinoceros beetles have bad characteristics to bore into any unopened frond or spathes and ruin it from the inside out. Luckily, they are easy to spot for most farmers. You just need to look at the fully opened frond at the plantation, if it shows a triangular cut, then it is suffering from rhinoceros beetle attacks. The simplest way to deal with it is to use 12g of naphthalene balls in the innermost leaf and leave it for at least 45 days.
- Second, Coconut Eriophyid mite: An infatuation of Eriophyid mites on the other hand, make their home under the perianth. If they are feeding on meristematic tissues under the perianth, then you will be able to spot tissues under the perianth. The most recommended method to use against this mite infarction is to simply apply 1% Azadirachtin, i.e., 4 ml in 1 liter of water.
Rot Disease Management
And finally, dealing with rot diseases for good health. There are only two types most coconut farmers in India face. There are Rotting of the Bud and Root Wilt, which is also commonly known as Kerala wilt disease.
If your tree is suffering from root wilt, then you will encounter reduction in leaf size with trunk shrunk in size. Here’s the simplest solution would be to utilize 500g of magnesium for every palm per year.
If your tree is suffering from But rot, then you will start to notice a lot of yellowing of younger leaves. The simplest solution to deal with it is Spraying 0.25% Copper oxychloride or 1 % Bordeaux mixture on the crown of the neighboring palms.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you get something out of a brief introduction of coconut farming in India. With India already rocking 30% of all world supply and still facing an opportunity to step up its coconut cultivation and production in many states. It is safe to say, coconut farming in India is a goldmine waiting to be tapped.
And those who’ll answer the call, will ensure a golden opportunity for their farms in the future.
