Technology Mission on Coconut : the platform which ignited value addition in Indian coconut Sector

摘要

Traditionally coconut has been indispensable in religious, cultural and social functions throughout the country. It finds a prominent place in household culinary purposes both in mature and tender forms in some parts of the country. Mature coconuts were mainly used for making milling and edible copra and for the manufacture of desiccated coconut. Kerala was the prime cultivator, and producer of coconut till recently; but the monopoly is slowly getting eroded. However, her role as the premier consumeris still continuing. Consumption of coconut in the state in the form of kernel and oil is maximum and in the tender nut stage is limited. In other South Indian states the utility is mainly confined to tender nuts, social and religious purpose and coconut oil in toiletry sector. In states like West Bengal it was more valued as a beverage crop. For the non traditional, north and north-eastern population coconut has been a fruit of reverence utilized for offerings and auspicious occasions. At the nationallevel coconut is valued as a food, beverage, oilseed and fibre yielding crop. The utilization pattern of coconut in 1980's was that fifty two percent of the total coconut production as raw nuts for edible and seed nut purposes, 10% as tender coconut and roughly 40% for copra production, both milling and edible. Only less than 5% was processed into products like desiccated coconut and other coconut based food products. Therefore the price of coconut was controlled by the coconut oil industry which consumed less than 40% of the production.