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 COMPENDIUM ON COCONUT

Editors
Dr. Vanaja, T.
Professor & Associate Director of Research,
Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pilicode
Dr. Balakrishnan, P. C.
Professor & Associate Director of Research (Retired),
Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pilicode
Dr. Satheesan, K. N.
Professor & Associate Director of Research (Retired),
Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pilicode

Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pilicode

Kerala Agricultural University
2022
COMPENDIUM ON COCONUT

January 2022

Published by

Dr. Jayasree Krishnankutty

Director of Extension
Kerala Agricultural University
Mannuthy – 680651, Thrissur

Printed at

Kerala Agricultural University Press

Mannuthy – 680651, Thrissur

Address

Regional Agricultural Research Station

Pilicode P. O., Kasaragod -671310
Tel./Fax: 0467 2260632
Email : rarspil@kau.in , adrpil@kau.in

© Kerala Agricultural University

 Acknowledgements

Coconut palm (Cocos nucifera Linn.), popularly called “Kalpavriksha” in Sanskrit which
means “Tree of Life”, or ‘Tree of heaven’ contributes enormously to mankind to meet demands on
food, fibre, shelter, health, tourism and other ecological services. Coconut plays a vital role in the
agrarian economy of our country and provides livelihood security to millions of people in the states of
Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Every part of coconut is used for one or the
other purposes viz. food and beverage, medicine, cosmetics, industrial raw material, construction
material, cultural and religious functions.

In 1916, four research stations were started by British Government based on four different
soil conditions namely laterite soil of Pilicode (Nileswaram -1), red loam soil of Karuvachery
(Nileswaram -2), sandy soil of Padannakkad (Nileswaram -3), and red soil of Kasaragod (Nileswaram
-4) in the name ‘SARKAR THENGIN THOTTAM’. There after the name transition happened as
Agricultural Research Station (ARS) in 1918, Central Coconut Research Station (CCRS) in 1940,
Coconut Research Station (CRS) in 1956, and finally to Regional Agricultural Research Station in
1980. The Station celebrated its centenary jubilee during 2016.

Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pilicode which completed it’s 100 years especially in
coconut research has all the right to bring forth a compendium on coconut. The book explores all
aspects of coconut crop prepared by agriculture scientists from Kerala Agricultural University and
CPCRI. We are grateful to the 41 scientists who prepared chapters in this book. We hope that this
book will be a complete guide for students and future researchers in coconut.

The immense support of all staff of Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pilicode is greatly
acknowledged. The editorial assistance of Smt. Karthika, V. P. and typing assistance of Sri. Adarsh,
A.K. are greatly appreciated.

Editors
 CONTRIBUTORS

1 Alka Gupta 11 Murali Gopal

ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute
Kasaragod - 671124 Kasaragod - 671124

2 Anes K M 12 Ninitha Nath C

ICAR-CPCRI, Regional Station Kerala Agricultural University
Kayamkulam- 690 533 Regional Agricultural Research Station
Pilicode - 671310

3 Ani S Das 13 Nisha Lekshmi V

Kerala Agricultural University Kerala Agricultural University
Regional Agricultural Research Station Regional Agricultural Research Station
Pilicode - 671310 Pilicode - 671310

4 Amal Premachandran 14 Radhakrishnan N V

Kerala Agricultural University Kerala Agricultural University
Regional Agricultural Research Station Coconut Research Station
Pilicode - 671310 Balaramapuram - 695501

5 Anitha Karun 15 Rajesh Kalladan

ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute Kerala Agricultural University
Kasaragod - 671124 Regional Agricultural Research Station
Pilicode - 671310

6 Anithakumari P 16 Rajesh M K
ICAR-CPCRI, Regional Station ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute
Kayamkulam- 690 533 Kasaragod - 671124

7 Anupama S 17 Ravi Bhat

Kerala Agricultural University ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute
Regional Agricultural Research Station Kasaragod - 671124
Pilicode - 671310

8 Chris Joseph 18 Remya Rajan K

Kerala Agricultural University Kerala Agricultural University
Regional Agricultural Research Station Regional Agricultural Research Station
Pilicode - 671310 Pilicode - 671310

9 George V Thomas 19 Sajeena A

ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute Kerala Agricultural University
Kasaragod - 671124 Integrated Farming System Research Station
Karamana - 695 002

10 Jacob John 20 Sanju Balan

Kerala Agricultural University Kerala Agricultural University
Integrated Farming System Research Station Regional Agricultural Research Station
Karamana - 695 002 Pilicode - 671310
21 Jaganathan D 32 Seema B R
ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Kerala Agricultural University
Sreekariyam - 695017 Regional Agricultural Research Station
Pilicode - 671310

22 Jayaprakash Naik 33 Selvamani V

Kerala Agricultural University ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute
Regional Agricultural Research Station Kasaragod - 671124
Pilicode - 671310

23 Josephrajkumar A 34 Sindhu R V
ICAR-CPCRI, Regional Station Kerala Agricultural University
Kayamkulam- 690 533 Regional Agricultural Research Station
Pilicode - 671310
24 Kalavathi S 35 Sinish M S
ICAR-CPCRI, Regional Station Kerala Agricultural University
Kayamkulam- 690 533 Regional Agricultural Research Station
Pilicode - 671310

25 Karthika V P 36 Subrahmanian P
Kerala Agricultural University ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute
Regional Agricultural Research Station Kasaragod - 671124
Pilicode - 671310
26 Krishnakumar V 37 Sudha B
ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute Kerala Agricultural University
Kasaragod - 671124 Integrated Farming System Research Station
Karamana - 695 002

27 Leena M K 38 Surekha R
Kerala Agricultural University ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute
Regional Agricultural Research Station Kasaragod - 671124
Pilicode - 671310
28 Meera A V 39 Thamban C
Kerala Agricultural University ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute
Integrated Farming System Research Station Kasaragod - 671124
Karamana - 695 002

29 Meera Manjusha A V 40 Vanaja T

Kerala Agricultural University Associate Director of Research
Regional Agricultural Research Station Kerala Agricultural University
Pilicode - 671310 Regional Agricultural Research Station
Pilicode - 671310

30 Merin Babu 41 Vinayaka Hegde

ICAR-CPCRI, Regional Station ICAR-CPCRI, Regional Station
Krishnapuram, Kayamkulam- 690 533 Krishnapuram, Kayamkulam- 690 533

31 Muralikrishna K S
ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute
Kasaragod - 671124
 CONTENTS
Chapter Page

1 ORIGIN, HISTORY AND IMPORTANCE OF COCONUT IN 1

KERALA
Jayaprakash Naik and Remya Rajan K
Crop improvement
2 BOTANY, FLORAL MORPHOLOGY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF 7
COCONUT PALM
Remya Rajan K and Ninitha Nath C
3 BREEDING METHODS IN COCONUT 27
Ninitha Nath C and Vanaja T
4 GERMPLASM COLLECTION AND VARIETIES OF COCONUT 54
Vanaja T and Ninitha Nath C
5 COCONUT TISSUE CULTURE AND CRYOPRESERVATION : 80
BIOTECHNOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS AT ICAR-CPCRI
Anitha Karun, Rajesh M K and Muralikrishna K S
6 A TRAMMELING PALM: A REVIEW ON BIOTECHNOLOGICAL 95
RESEARCHES IN COCONUT
Meera Manjusha A V and Amal Premachandran

Crop production
7 MAINTAINING SOIL QUALITY FOR ‘QUALIFIED COCONUT’ 104
PRODUCTION
Chris Joseph
8 COCONUT RESIDUE RECYCLING AND BIOFERTILIZER 123
TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENHANCING SOIL HEALTH
Murali Gopal and Alka Gupta
9 AGRONOMIC MEASURES IN COCONUT CULTIVTION 134
Sinish M S
10 ORGANIC CULTIVATION PRACTICES IN COCONUT 140
Subramanian P, Alka Gupta, Murali Gopal, Selvamani V, Joseph Rajkumar,
Surekha R, Krishnakumar V, Ravi Bhat, Vinayaka Hegde and George V
Thomas
11 PLANTING MATERIAL PRODUCTION IN COCONUT 156
Remya Rajan K
12 PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS OF COCONUT AND ITS 166
MANAGEMENT
Rajesh Kalladan
Crop protection
13 PESTS OF COCONUT AND THEIR MANAGEMENT 175
Nisha Lekshmi V and Leena M K
14 NEW FRONTIERS IN PEST MANAGEMENT IN COCONUT 229
Josephrajkumar A, Anes K M, Merin Babu and Vinayaka Hegde
15 DISEASES OF COCONUT 238
Sindhu R V and Sanju Balan

16 ECOFRIENDLY DISEASE MANAGEMENT IN COCONUT 278

Radhakrishnan N V and Sanju Balan

Processing and value addition

17 VALUE ADDITION OF COCONUT 283

Meera Manjusha A V and Seema B R
Integrated farming system
18 COCONUT BASED INTEGRATED FARMING IN THE 310
HOMESTEADS OF KERALA
Jacob John, Sudha B, Sajeena A and Meera A V

19 INTERCROPPING IN COCONUT GARDENS 328

Anupama S
20 OPPORTUNITIES OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IN COCONUT 337
CULTIVATION
Ani S Das
Climate and crop
21 CLIMATE AND COCONUT 344
Karthika V P
22 DROUGHT MANAGEMENT IN COCONUT GARDENS 352
Sinish M S

Extension of technology
23 INNOVATIVE EXTENSION APPROACHES FOR SUSTAINABLE 356
COCONUT DEVELOPMENT
Thamban C, Anithakumari P, Kalavathi S, and Jaganathan D
 Chapter 23

Innovative extension approaches for sustainable

Coconut development
Thamban C, Anithakumari P, Kalavathi S and Jaganathan D

1. Introduction

Coconut, the versatile tree crop, plays a vital role in the agrarian economy of our country and
provides livelihood security to millions of people particularly in the states of Kerala,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Kerala state which is often referred to as the
‘land of coconut’ ranks first in the area and production of coconut in the country. Coconut
occupies about 37 per cent of the net cropped area in the state and is an integral part of its
socio-cultural fabric. It provides employment opportunities to large number of people,
especially in the traditional sectors like coir, copra, toddy tapping etc.

To remain competitive in this era of trade liberalization, coconut growers need to effectively
utilize technologies for enhancing productivity, reducing cost of cultivation and value
addition through product diversification. To be effective, the knowledge generation and
technology transfer process have to take into account the unique characteristics of the crop
and the resource endowments of the farming community in the coconut sector. Various
aspects of technology transfer, field level utilisation of technologies and extension
approaches in coconut sector are discussed hereunder.

2. Coconut innovation system

Different agencies are involved in the development and dissemination of technologies as part
of the broader coconut innovation system. Arulraj et al. (2018) depicted the key elements in
the technology generation, transfer, support and utilization system in coconut in India (Fig.1)
as given below.

Research system Extension system Support system Utilization

system
International Front-line extension of research Input agencies Coconut farmers
Research Institutes institutes
National Research Ministry of Agriculture and Nurseries Entrepreneurs
Institutes Farmers Welfare
Agricultural Coconut Development Board Non-governmental Policy makers
Universities organizations
Coconut Department of Farmer Producer
Development Board Agriculture/Horticulture Organizations
Non-governmental organizations Marketing agencies
Private agencies Financial institutions
Fig.1. Coconut Innovation system

356
2.1. Research system

Technology generation system in coconut sector includes international research institutes and
national level research institutes. International Coconut Community (ICC), International
Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT) and Bureau for the Development of
Research on Tropical Perennial Oil Crops (BUROTROP) are the major international
institutions on coconut research. There are more than 25 national level coconut research
institutes mostly located in the important coconut producing countries of the world. Important
organizations conducting research on coconut in India include ICAR-Central Plantation
Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
and the State Agricultural/Horticultural Universities.

ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (ICAR-CPCRI) is the pioneering research

organization in India conducting research on different aspects of coconut cultivation. CPCRI
also coordinates research on coconut within the country through the All India Coordinated
Research Project (AICRP) on Palms. Currently, 15 centres are conducting research on
coconut under AICRP on Palms. State agricultural/horticultural universities which are in the
major coconut-growing regions undertake research programmes related to coconut through
their academic programmes and also through AICRP on Palms.

Coconut Development Board (CDB) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare,
Government of India is another agency which is involved in facilitating coconut research in
India. CDB has been actively supporting coconut research by funding research projects for
developing technologies for processing and product diversification, management of insect
pests and disease affected coconut gardens. Research organisations including ICAR/CSIR
institutions, SAUs, NGOs and other organisations having research capabilities are supported
by CDB under technology mission for the development of technologies. Market research in
coconut sector is also carried out by CDB. To promote product diversification and by-product
utilization of coconut a Technology Development Centre has been established at Vazhakulam
near Ernakulam in Kerala under the CDB (Coconut Development Board, 2021).

The scheme of uptake pathways for coconut research output in India is depicted in Fig. 2 as
given below. (Thamban and Jaganathan, 2016).

Fig.2. Scheme of uptake pathways for coconut research output

357
Systematic research efforts by the coconut research institutions have resulted in substantial
number of viable technologies for enhancing productivity and income from coconut. These
technologies are mostly related to improved varieties including hybrids, agronomic practices
including nutrient management, irrigation and water management, multiple cropping and
integrated farming systems, integrated pest and disease management and value addition
through product diversification.

2.2. Coconut production scenario and yield gap

India has the largest share (31.1%) in world coconut production in the year 2017, followed by
Indonesia (20.9%) and Philippines (20.4%). However, Philippines had the largest area under
coconut with a share of 29.9 percent, followed by Indonesia (29.3%) and India (18.0%).
Among top seven producers, Brazil had the highest yield of 11923 nuts per hectare, followed
by India (9815 nuts/ha), as against the world average of 5,777 nuts per hectare (ICC, 2019).
Kerala state ranks first in area and production in India (Coconut Development Board, 2021).
During 2019-20 production of coconut in Kerala was 6,980 million nuts from an area of 7.6
lakh ha. However, productivity of coconut is comparatively low (9,175 nuts per ha) in Kerala
owing to various reasons. Coconut cultivation in India is characterised by the predominance
of small and marginal holdings, more than 90% of coconut holdings being less than 0.4 ha in
size. In states like Kerala the average size of coconut holdings is only 0.2 ha.

Though a substantial number of viable technologies have been developed through systematic
research for achieving higher productivity in coconut, the potential of these technologies have
not been realised in farmers’ field and yield level remained quite low compared to the
potential yield. National average of coconut productivity is 9345 nuts per ha while that of the
best managed coconut garden is 27,300 nuts per ha per year. Yield gap of coconut in Kerala
state worked out in mid-2010s was 275%, and across different agro-ecological units (AEUs)
the yield gap for coconut ranged from 186 to 629% (Kerala Development Report, 2021).
Hence, the primary challenge is to raise the productivity of coconut through better utilisation
of technologies to make coconut farming remunerative.

2.3. Field level utilization of technologies

Adoption of scientific cultivation practices is very vital for enhancing coconut productivity.
Various studies have reported that level of adoption of recommended cultivation practices of
coconut in Kerala state is low due to various reasons. Table 1 summarises the extent of
adoption of recommended cultivation technologies in coconut by the farmers in selected
districts of Kerala state as revealed by a recent study conducted by ICAR-CPCRI with the
support of State Department of Agriculture Development & farmers’ Welfare, Government of
Kerala (Thamban et al, 2021).

358
Table 1. Extent of adoption of recommended cultivation practices of coconut in selected
districts in Kerala state (n=1036)
Sl. Extent of adoption (%)
No. Recommended Kannur Malappuram Alappuzh Thiruvanan- Average
cultivation practice a thapuram
1 Improved varieties/ 7.81 5.83 12.50 9.67 8.98
hybrids (≥25% )
2 Maintenance of optimum 27.95 52.50 30.83 22.00 32.59
plant density
4 Inter/ mixed cropping 37.89 42.50 49.17 58.33 47.49

5 Integrated farming 16.41 27.08 31.67 27.67 25.68

6 Soil and water 19.61 57.08 42.50 36.00 38.36

conservation practices
7 Irrigation 52.73 63.75 61.67 33.67 51.83

8 Chemical fertilizers as 6.67 3.75 24.58 13.0 11.97

per recommendation
9 Integrated pest 24.62 0.96 63.03 13.67 29.42
management
10 Integrated disease 32.28 0.00 4.70 4.10 8.80
management

A cursory glance at the table indicates that extent of adoption of recommended cultivation
practices of coconut is low which probably is a prime factor resulting in low productivity of
coconut in the state. Low level of adoption of scientific crop management practices in
coconut gardens in the state indicates the need to formulate suitable development/extension
intervention to support coconut growers to follow the recommended practices to enhance
adoption and thereby increasing yield and income from coconut farming.

Item-wise adoption of recommended cultivation practices

Status of item-wise adoption of recommended cultivation practices of coconut is discussed

below.

i. Improved varieties and hybrids

Though large number of improved varieties and hybrids have been released by research
institutions, studies have revealed that the extent of adoption of recommended varieties and
hybrids was on the lower side due to various factors. Thamban et al., ( 2021) reported that the
overall percentage of coconut gardens with at least one palm of any improved variety/hybrid
is around 30%. However, only 8.98 % holdings had 25% of the total palms of improved
variety/hybrids. Average number of palms of hybrids or improved varieties per hectare was
only 13. Low level of adoption of improved varieties including hybrids in coconut was
reported by many earlier researchers also (Bastine et al., 1991; Thampan 1999, Anithakumari

359
and Kalavathi 2001). According to farmers, lack of availability of quality seedlings continues
to be a major problem faced by them in adopting the improved varieties. A recently
implemented farmer participatory decentralized coconut seedling production initiative of
state agriculture department in collaboration with FPOs and CPCRI has conclusively proved
that coconut FPOs can play a significant role to enhance the availability of quality seedlings
of coconut at grass root level through community coconut nurseries (Thamban, 2020).
ii. Optimum planting density

Maintenance of optimum planting density by adopting the recommended spacing is very

important to realise better yield of coconut palms. Studies have indicated that there is only
medium level of adoption of scientifically recommended optimum spacing (Anithakumari
and Kalavathi, 2001; Thamban et al, 2021). It is also evident that palms are closely planted in
northern districts as compared to southern districts. Hence, it is necessary to formulate and
implement development/extension interventions for restructuring coconut orchards
overcrowded with coconut palms for the maintenance of optimum palm density to enhance
coconut yield and also to facilitate effective multiple cropping for enhancing income from
coconut farming.
iii. Irrigation and water management

Coconut palm responds very well to irrigation. Lack of irrigation is one of the factors
attributed to the low productivity of coconut in Kerala. A recent study (Thamban et al., 2021)
revealed that only 51% of the coconut gardens received irrigation in Kerala unlike the other
major coconut producing states like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh where the extent of
irrigation in coconut gardens is very high. In all the selected districts the major method of
irrigation followed was the basin irrigation using hose pipes with almost half of the holdings
having the same. Water conserving irrigation methods such as drip irrigation was adopted
only in less than 1% of the holdings. About 3% of the coconut holdings had sprinkler method
of irrigation. It is noteworthy that even among the irrigated gardens, about 8% of the gardens
were not receiving irrigation in the peak summer due to shortage of water. Status of adoption
of irrigation in coconut gardens clearly indicate the necessity for implementing
development/extension interventions to promote water conserving irrigation methods such as
drip irrigation in coconut holdings.
iv. Soil health management

Soil related constraints such as high acidity and deficiency of primary, secondary and micro
nutrients across the major coconut growing tracts are stated to be a major factor resulting in
low productivity of coconut in the state (Nair et al., 2018). It is very important to judiciously
apply chemical fertilizers and soil amendments based on the requirement as per their
availability in the soil in different agro-ecological units. Broad recommendations for soil
health management in coconut gardens in different AEUs have been evolved based on
research conducted in farmers’ field and the impact of adoption of these recommendations
were demonstrated in selected farmers’ gardens through farmer participatory demonstrations
(Thamban et al., 2020).

360
v. Application of organic manure and chemical fertilizers

Application of sufficient quantity of organic manure improves the soil characteristics and
provides nutrients to coconut palms. Many studies have revealed that majority of the coconut
growers adopts the practice of application of organic manure to the palms . However, organic
manure application in required quantity as per the scientific recommendation is done only in
limited number of the cases. Studies have indicated low to medium level of adoption of
practices like organic manure application, chemical fertilizer application, green manuring,
etc. (Thamban and Venugopalan 2002). Anithakumari and Kalavathi (2001) reported low
level of knowledge for nutrient management (20%) and moisture conservation (10%) with
very few farmers adopting recommended nutrient management (12%) and moisture
conservation. Even though State agriculture department and research institutions encourage
and popularise soil testing and issue soil health cards, the percentage of coconut farmers who
tested their soils is very low. Studies have shown that there is widespread deficiency of
micronutrients such as boron, zinc, copper etc in the soils across coconut growing AEUs
(Rajasekaran et al., 2013). However, vast majority of the farmers do not apply micronutrients
to their coconut palms. This situation indicates the need for implementing
development/extension interventions to enhance adoption of micronutrients as part of soil
health management for enhancing coconut productivity in the state.

vi. Coconut based inter/mixed cropping and integrated farming system

Vast majority of coconut holdings in Kerala state are small and marginal in size and in such
holdings coconut as a monocrop does not fetch sufficient income to meet the needs of the
farm families. Adoption of coconut based multiple cropping is a recommended strategy for
such holdings to enhance income. Further, coconut based multiple cropping helps to
overcome the difficulty due to price crash/price fluctuation of coconut. A recent study
indicated that coconut based inter/mixed cropping system is followed in about 43% of the
gardens in Kerala. Important inter/mixed crops grown are arecanut, spices and cocoa in
Kannur and Malappuram districts whereas in southern districts, fruit crops, tuber crops and
vegetables are the major inter/mixed crops. The study indicated the scope for popularising
coconut based inter/mixed cropping through appropriate development/extension interventions
to enhance income from coconut farming. The scope for expanding the land area for
enhancing food production is very much limited in Kerala and hence, efforts are needed to
increase food and nutritional security and income per unit area per unit time through
intercropping and integration of livestock and related enterprises. Utilisation of the potential
for multiple cropping in coconut gardens to enhance food production in the state assumes
much significance. Results of the above study showed that even though components of mixed
farming are present in 27.61% of the gardens, CBIFS is adopted systematically in 15.73%
coconut holdings only. Adoption of various CBIFS models developed at the research
institutions and also successful models documented in farmers’ gardens needs to be scaled up
through promotional programmes.

361
vii. Integrated pest and disease management

One of the major constraints to coconut production is the incidence of pests and diseases.
Lack of knowledge and practical difficulties resulted in low level of adoption of plant
protection technologies as reported by Bastine et al. (1991), Yogananda et al. (1994) and
Thampan (1999). Compared to southern districts, incidence of pests is comparatively low in
northern districts of Kerala state. Thamban et al (2021) reported that pest management
practices are followed in 63% and 24% gardens in Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram
districts whereas adoption of IPM was 24% and 1% respectively in Kannur and Malappuram
districts. Almost all the coconut gardens in Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram districts
were infected with one or other diseases, root (wilt) being the major disease. Disease
incidence is comparatively low in northern districts. Bud rot and stem bleeding are the major
diseases in Kannur and Malappuram districts whereas root (wilt), Thanjavur wilt and bud rot
are prevalent in coconut gardens of Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram districts. Extent of
adoption of disease management practices in coconut is abysmally low. Even in the coconut
holdings where some pest and disease management measures are taken up by the farmers it
has been observed that the IPM or IDM package recommended for the particular pest or
disease is not properly adopted; it is only partial adoption of the recommended practices.
Hence, coconut growers find it difficult to manage the pest and diseases and suffer crop loss.
Various constraints including lack of awareness/knowledge among farmers and extension
personnel about the recommended technologies have resulted in low level of adoption of
plant protection technologies in coconut.

viii. Harvest/post harvest technologies

A recent study indicated that adoption of value addition technologies by coconut growers at
farm level is low; it is limited to preparation of copra for coconut oil extraction (Thamban et
al., 2021). Further copra/oil is mainly produced for own consumption uniformly in all the
districts. Another study had reported that knowledge and adoption level of palm-climbing
device, copra dryer and copra moisture metre were found to be very low (Anithakumari and
Kalavathi, 2001).
In general, it can be seen that adoption of coconut hybrid varieties, improved irrigation
techniques like microirrigation, IPM, IDM and post harvest processing technologies is very
low in coconut. A comparison between the best managed gardens and state level and
national average of productivity of coconut will reveal the fact that there still exists a wide
gap between the technologies generated and their utilization by the growers. The low level of
technology utilisation at farmers’ fields calls for formulating effective extension strategies.

2.4. Constraints in adoption of technologies

Inherent problems in Kerala agriculture are experienced in coconut sector also which
adversely affect the adoption of recommended technologies. These problems include
increasing share of non-agricultural area in the total geographical area and land becoming a
highly valued commodity and subsequent pressure on agricultural land, absentee landlordism
and low level of dependence on agriculture as the major source of income, predominance of

362
marginal holdings, lack of availability of labour, especially skilled palm climbers, and high
wage rate, lack of irrigation facilities etc result in neglect of the agricultural holdings without
adequate care and low level of adoption of recommended technologies (Kerala Development
Report, 2021).

Price crash/price fluctuation in the market is the single most important problem experienced
by coconut growers. The risk and uncertainty due to price fluctuation faced by farmers is
more serious in the present era of trade liberalization unlike in the past when domestic
markets were highly protected from outside competition.

The problems due to fragmented coconut holdings with low resource endowments result in
low level of adoption of improved technologies. Hence, it is imperative that group
approaches are facilitated among small and marginal coconut growers for effectively
implementing extension and development initiatives. Group approaches enable the growers to
reduce cost of cultivation and to enhance productivity through better utilisation of
technologies.

A major constraint perceived by farmers in the adoption of high yielding varieties/hybrids of

coconut is lack of availability of quality planting materials. Farmer organisations and women
self help groups can be facilitated to manage decentralised community nurseries for
production and distribution of quality planting material to benefit the growers.

Deterioration of soil and water resources in the cultivated land is a major constraint adversely
affecting sustainable production of coconut, ecological sustainability and income level of
farmers. Extension initiatives for implementing interventions for empowering growers to
adopt technologies on soil and water conservation and water harvesting for enhancing
productivity of coconut and thereby increasing income thus assumes much significance.

Another reason attributed to the unsatisfactory technology adoption scenario in coconut is

low awareness/knowledge level of farmers about the improved technologies. Hence, capacity
development initiatives to benefit farmers are to be organised to better equip them for higher
level of utilisation of technologies. Need based training programmes, demonstration of
proven technologies with the active participation of farmers, effective use of other extension
methods including group/mass contact methods are necessary to keep the growers updated
on the technologies available for enhancing productivity and income from farming.

It is generally an accepted fact that the extent of farmers' participation in research and
extension is not at a satisfactory level. Active involvement of farmers in the process of
technology generation, technology assessment and refinement and dissemination of
technologies invariably enhances the extent of technology utilisation at farm level. The scope
for implementing farmer participatory approaches to enhance effectiveness of research and
extension in coconut needs to be fully utilised. Decentralised participatory approaches for
planning and implementing development/extension initiatives for the development of coconut
sector are to be promoted to address location specific problems in coconut.

363
3. Transfer of technology programmes for sustainable development of coconut
sector

Various agencies are implementing technology transfer programmes for the sustainable
development of coconut sector. Mainstream extension system with Ministry of Agriculture
and Farmers’ Welfare at the centre and State Agriculture/Horticulture Departments at state
level implement technology transfer and developmental schemes for the improvement of
coconut sector. Extension programmes relevant to coconut are also implemented through the
Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) initiative supported by Central and
State governments. Coconut Development Board (CDB) is another important organisation in
the country which organise various development and extension initiatives for the
development of coconut sector in India. It is a statutory body established under the Ministry
of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India for the integrated development of
coconut cultivation and industry in the country with a focus on productivity increase and
product diversification.

Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) located in districts having coconut as a major crop
implement interventions for conducting On Farm Testing (OFTs), Front Line Demonstrations
(FLDs) and extension activities pertaining to technologies for enhancing productivity and
income from coconut farming. Farmer producer organisations supported by governmental
agencies also involve in the implementation of extension and development interventions in
coconut sector. Local Self Governments (LSGs) also implement development interventions
in coconut through decentralised planning process. Various NGOs and private sector
organisations are also involved in organizing technology transfer activities in coconut.

3.1. Front-Line Extension Programmes of ICAR-CPCRI

Important front-line transfer of technology activities in coconut implemented by ICAR-

CPCRI include training programmes; front-line demonstrations; information communication
through mass media like radio, television, newspapers and farm magazines, extension
pamphlets, CD ROMs, video cassettes, etc.; exhibitions; seminars; krishi melas; and group
meetings, providing consultancy through field visits and replying postal queries etc.

3.1.1. Conventional Extension Approaches

i. Capacity building programmes

Institutional and off-campus training programmes for farmers, entrepreneurs and extension
personnel on specific topics related to nursery management, crop management technologies,
organic farming technologies, coconut based multiple cropping and integrated farming
systems and post harvest technology are the major thematic areas of training programmes . A
study conducted by ICAR-CPCRI among extension personnel indicated that the training
programmes were highly successful in achieving the objectives as reflected by the high
Training Effectiveness Index (TEI) values. Impact analysis of capacity building programme
on coconut among subject matter specialists of KVKs during 2016 revealed that training had

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significant impact on enhancing knowledge level of the respondents in all subjects of coconut
technologies. Average gain in knowledge was estimated to be 18.36% (Jaganathan et al.,
2016).
ii. Front-Line Demonstrations (FLDs)
ICAR-CPCRI regularly organise front-line demonstrations in farmers’ fields on different
coconut cultivation technologies. These demonstration programmes have proved to be
effective in convincing the farmers about the technical feasibility and economic viability of
the technologies. Through adoption of the proper management practice, average yield of the
palms in the root (wilt) disease-affected gardens increased from 24.17 to 46.3 nuts per palm
per year after 3 years, recording an improvement of 91.4%. Observations on yield of coconut
revealed an increase in productivity of palms from a pre-demonstration yield of 95 nuts per
palm per year under monocrop situation to 122 nuts per palm per year in coconut-based high-
density multispecies cropping system. Under a network project on ‘Enhancing coconut
productivity through scientific soil health management’ involving a consortium of ICAR
institutes viz., NBSS & LUP, CPCRI, CTCRI and IISR and selected KVKs implemented in
five AEUs spread over six districts in Kerala state during the period from 2015 to 2019 the
average increase of nut yield recorded in demonstration sites was 49 % (Thamban et al.,
2020).

3.1.2. Innovative extension approaches

Effective delivery of extension services in coconut sector needs to consider the inherent
problems in agriculture sector such as predominance of fragmented holdings and resource
limitations, absentee-landlordism and low level of dependence on agriculture, lack of
availability of planting material, lack of irrigation facilities, lack of skilled labour and high
wage rate, price crash/price fluctuation of coconut in the market etc and also the long
gestation period and perennial nature of the crop. Taking into cognizance of these factors,
apart from the conventional extension interventions, a few innovative extension approaches
for improving technology utilization have been implemented by ICAR-CPCRI and other
agencies involved in the development of coconut sector in India.

Some of the alternative extension initiatives in coconut which were pilot tested through action
research projects at ICAR-CPCRI aiming at improving technology utilisation by farmers are
discussed below.
i. Participatory technology transfer approach (PTTA) for coconut root (wilt) disease
management

The ICAR sponsored National Agricultural Technology Project was implemented by ICAR-
CPCRI on Participatory technology transfer approach (PTT) for areas affected by coconut
root (wilt) disease. Extension approach in this project involved first line technology
assessment and transfer with the active participation of farm families of manageable
contiguous area in coconut root (wilt) disease affected tracts. Multidisciplinary team of
scientists, extension officials, farmer representatives, local village representatives, women,
youths, groups etc form the stakeholders. Participatory rural appraisal tools were employed

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for pre implementation, appraisal at 6 monthly interval and also post implementation of the
project. The awareness, knowledge, adoption and attitude of farmers towards the technology
package for the integrated root (wilt) disease management technologies) were improved by
40-85 per cent over the pre implementation level.

ii. Area wide community extension approach (AWCA) for management of coconut pests

Adoption of plant protection technologies in coconut was reported to be very low (below
5%). Alternative extension mechanisms for managing pest/disease problems of coconut needs
special emphasis because coconut, a perennial plantation crop, is cultivated in contiguous
area in small and marginal land holdings (average holding size of 0.2 ha) provides congenial
conditions for pest and disease incidences throughout the year and it is a challenge for
technology delivery system among farming community with varied resource base, socio
personal and psychological variables.

ICAR-CPCRI took the initiative to evolve area wide community extension approach
(AWCA) for management of coconut pests which was scaled up in different localities
subsequently. The model community extension approach underscores the role of linkages
with peoples’ representatives, farmer organizations, farmer leaders, co-operative societies of
farmers and co-ordination with various extension departments and research institutions. The
community extension approach in Bio-management of rhinoceros beetle, the major pest of
coconut, was implemented in Edava grama panchayat in Thiruvananthaopuram district on a
pilot basis. Efficiency in terms of time and resources and substantial economic/environment
benefits could be achieved through linkages, appropriate technology choices and
participatory approaches of implementation for coconut pest management. The critical
component of the extension approach was the decentralized option for technology facilitation
viz. capacity building of women farmer groups as master trainers and farm level producers of
Green Muscardine Fungus (GMF) and targeting the ‘potential and critical adopters’ of the bio
control technology against rhinoceros beetle. The potential /critical adopters were reached
through coordinated efforts of people’s representatives, extension units of Department of
Agriculture and Animal husbandry, milk cooperative societies in which 85 percent of
livestock farmers are members and women Self Help Groups (SHGs). Through this approach
more than 90 per cent of the potential adopters were reached within two months and post
intervention data indicated 75.8% reduction of fresh pest infestation (Anithakumari, 2016).
The area wide community approach for integrated management of red palm weevil, the
dreaded pest of coconut using GPS/GIS as decision support and evaluation tools was
implemented during 2013-2015 in Bharanikkavu grama panchayath of Alappuzha district in
2000 ha of coconut gardens. The infestation of coconut palms by red palm weevil could be
substantially reduced through the area wide community approach as depicted in Fig.3.

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 Fig. 3. Effect of Areawide Community Approach on Red palm weevil insfestation in coconut

Area wide community extension approach was adopted effectively by CPCRI for
implementing the pilot project supported by CDB for managing the incidence of bud rot
disease of coconut in the hilly terrains of Kasaragod district in Kerala state. This approach as
scaled up subsequently in the scheme on plant protection in coconut implemented by State
Department of Agriculture in Kasaragod district.

iii. Farmer Field Schools (FFS) for technology transfer in coconut

Farmer Field School (FFS) is a school without walls and group of farmers meet together in
one of their fields to learn about their crops and various factors that affect the crops. It
teaches basic agricultural and management skills that make farmers experts in their own
farms. The FFS system further helps to improve the decision making capacity of farming
communities and encourages the local innovations (Gwary et al., 2015). The topics of FFS
vary widely from region to region, it being primarily conducted for IPM technologies and
rice in South East Asia. However, the FFS in coconut need to be looked separately from
annual crops. Here, the complete life cycle of the crop cannot be covered in a single FFS.
Only certain practices that meet our requirement should be identified for the FFS. Under the
ICAR-CPCRI project sponsored by Asia Pacific Coconut Community, FFSs were conducted
in 15 locations for the IPM of rhinoceros beetle in coconut. Impact assessment of FFS
indicated 100 per cent increase in the level of knowledge and awareness of farmers compared
to the pre-FFS level. IPDM in coconut plantations, in situ production of green manure and
organic manure, INM practices and use of micro nutrients, intercropping in coconut gardens
to augment income, soil and water conservation measures in coconut gardens, quality
seedling production for coconut nurseries and post harvest processing in coconut can be
considered for organising FFS in coconut (Sunil et al., 2016).

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iv. Community Based Organisations (CBO) for sustainable income enhancement in
coconut sector

In India, coconut is predominantly cultivated in small and marginal holdings which suffer due
to resource limitations and poor technology utilisation. The effectiveness of organizing
coconut farmers into community-based organizations (CBO) for efficient management of
farmers’ resources to reduce cost of cultivation and to increase productivity through
integration of technologies even in very small farm holdings has been demonstrated by
ICAR-CPCRI in selected localities (Thamban, 2010).
A multi-country project sponsored by IPGRI was implemented by ICAR-CPCRI for
developing sustainable coconut based income generating technologies in poor rural
communities. The extension approach under this initiative was to facilitate coconut farmers
and rural women to form Community Based Organisations (CBO) for sustainable income
enhancement through efficient management of resources to reduce cost of cultivation and to
increase productivity through integration of technologies in small farm holdings. The three-
pronged strategy for the project included growing suitable inter/mixed crops in coconut
gardens and integrating animal husbandry and other subsidiary enterprises, cultivating high-
yielding cultivars of coconut and diversification of coconut products. Implementation of the
strategies, including microcredit, was routed through the CBO. A close linkage was
developed between the CBO and scientists, and monitoring and evaluation of the
interventions were done through CBO. The assessment of the project implementation
revealed that the net income from the coconut farming could be substantially increased
through the technology interventions and micro-enterprises introduced in the communities.
Women Self Help Groups formed under the project were able to start enterprises for
commercial production and marketing of coconut high-value products. The project
intervention provided employment opportunities to formerly unemployed and underemployed
rural women resulting in enhanced self-esteem and economic and social empowerment
(Batugal and Oliver, 2003).

Under the multi-country IFAD project implemented by CPCRI on ‘overcoming poverty in

coconut-growing communities’, participatory planning and implementation of diverse
interventions notably intercropping and off-farm activities in small and marginal coconut
homesteads were attempted through CBOs along with nutrition education. These efforts
brought out significant improvements in the food and nutritional security as well as the
income of the family members. Total annual income per homestead enhanced from Rs.25,617
to Rs.59,017 per ha over the project period. Income from coconut, increased by 50%,
intercrops by four fold, livestock rearing by six fold and household level processing by 33-
fold. At the end of the project, 96% of the members became completely food secure and 72%
nutritionally secure.

A project emphasising cluster approach was implemented by ICAR-CPCRI among coconut

farming community for improving productivity and income from small and marginal coconut
based homesteads. The extension approach adopted was to promote group approach among
coconut farming community for improving productivity and income from small and marginal

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coconut based homesteads’ in the root (wilt) affected coconut area. The farm family members
of 25 hectare area clustered together for deciding the farm strategies; both individual and
group ventures for improving productivity and income. Analysis of impact of this extension
initiative revealed that knowledge and adoption of the technologies significantly improved
through extension interventions and training programmes. The average yield of coconut was
doubled after technology package implementation for three years. The cluster approach has
been scaled up by other agencies like Coconut Development Board (CDB).

Under the ICAR sponsored National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) sub-project on
‘Value chain in coconut’ implemented by ICAR-CPCRI small and marginal coconut farmers
were organized at grass root level into clusters (each cluster covering 25 ha of coconut
holdings on a contiguous basis) with the aim of integrating interventions related to
production and processing technologies for enhancing productivity and income from coconut
farming. Ten clusters were formed and interventions related to technologies viz., basin
management with green manure legumes, intercropping and integrated disease management
were implemented in the selected coconut holdings. The experiences of CPCRI in facilitating
Community Based Organisations of small and marginal coconut growers under the NAIP
evidently reflects that better technology integration is possible through group approach for
enhancing productivity and income.

A project supported by NABARD was implemented by CPCRI on community-based bio-

resource management was adopted for sustaining production and livelihood security under
coconut-based farming systems. The efforts resulted in ensuring quality bio-inputs to the
farmers along with efficient use of land, water, sunlight and residue utilization, thereby
contributing to sustainable production and productivity. Community coconut nursery
established by the farmer groups produced seedlings with a recovery of 79.5% good-quality
bio-primed dwarf coconut seedlings. Significant improvement in income from coconut and
other intercrops resulted in 89.7% improvement in farm income.

A project sponsored by Ministry of Water Resources was implemented by ICAR-CPCRI on

Farmer Participatory Action Research Programme (FPARP) on ‘Soil and water conservation
and water harvesting in the west coast region of Kerala’. Farmer participatory approach to
enhance the adoption of soil and moisture conservation techniques and low cost water
harvesting technologies in coconut based farming systems was employed under the project
implemented in 20 selected villages. Extension methodology was evolved for integrating six
technologies for soil and water conservation and five technologies for low cost water
harvesting in farmers’ coconut gardens. Due to the adoption of soil and water conservation
and water harvesting in coconut gardens, productivity of coconut increased by 19 per cent ie
from 54 nuts per palm to 64 nuts per palm per year (Thamban et al., 2014).
4. Promoting FPOs in coconut sector

Organizing the unorganized coconut sector through farmer’s collectives is one of the most
important activities of Coconut Development Board (CDB). The producer’s collectives will
have to be strengthened and they need to be facilitated to access forward linkages with regard

369
to technology for enhanced productivity, value addition of feasible products and market tie-
ups. The Coconut Farmers Producer Organizations have a three tier structure consisting of
Coconut Producers Society (CPS), Coconut Producers Federation (CPF) and Coconut
Producers Company (CPC). Coconut Producer Societies (CPS) are formed by associating 40-
100 coconut growers in a contiguous area with a consolidated minimum of 4000-5000 palms.
Legal status of CPSs is assured by registration under Charitable Societies Act. Coconut
Producers Federation (CPF) is formed by combining 8-10 CPS. A CPF would have around
1,00,000 palms under it. CPF is also registered as a charitable society and further registered
with CDB. 8-10 CPFs would join together to form a CPC. As on 1st August 2021, a total of
9785 CPSs, 747 CPFs and 67 CPCs have been formed under CDB. Decentralised coconut
nurseries for the production and distribution of quality coconut seedlings have been taken up
by many CPFs. Similarly, about 200 CPFs secured licence for the production and marketing
of neera in Kerala state. Formation of FPOs under the CDB scheme has created awareness
among coconut growers about the importance of group approach for reducing cost of
cultivation and also for enhancing income through better technology adoption giving thrust
on value addition through product diversification.

5. Friends of Coconut Trees (FoCT) – An innovative capacity building programme for

rural youth
Coconut Development Board has been implementing ‘Friends of Coconut Trees (FoCT)’, an
innovative capacity building programme, for rural youth since the year 2011. This initiative
aimed at empowerment of rural youth through skill training to support coconut growers for
coconut climbing and other crop management practices including harvesting and plant
protection. CDB implemented the FoCT initiative to tackle the problem of acute shortage of
trained coconut palm climbers for harvesting and plant protection activities which is a major
constraint experienced by coconut growers. Initially it was aimed to train about 5000
underemployed youth in developing special skills and confidence in coconut palm climbing
and plant protection activities for the benefit of the coconut community as a whole in Kerala
state. However, the project was subsequently spread to other coconut growing regions and so
far about 64,521 youths from various states have been trained under the FoCT programme
in 10 phases during the period from 2011-12 to 2020-21.
(https://www.coconutboard.in/foct/friends.aspx 01.11.2021).

6. ICT tools for technology transfer in coconut

The Information and Communication Technology tools (ICT) comprise of hybrid devices of
computing and networking technologies which have capability to improve intra and
interpersonal, group and mass communication. ICTs can be used in extension for four
purposes (i) Information provision, (ii) Facilitate decision-making; (iii) Capacity building;
and (vi) Facilitation in farming operations. There are many cases of ICT uses in coconut
(Sivakumar, 2016) of which few are mentioned below.
i. Information system for Startup management
The Palakkad Coconut Producers’ Company Limited in association with Source Trace
Systems (STS) has launched an integrated farm information system, which would enable
farmers’ start-ups to monitor their operations with state-of-the-art information system and

370
optimise it by right decisions on checks, balances and well informed strategies.
(http://keralacoconut.com/).

ii. Information system for (b) TropGeneDB

TropGeneDB is an information system developed by CIRAD (French Agricultural Research
Centre for International Development) to manage various kinds of data on tropical crops
including coconut. (http://tropgenedb.cirad.fr/tropgene/JSP/index.jsp)

iii. Using drones for mapping and inspection in coconut gardens

In 2015 the Samoan agricultural non-governmental organisation (NGO) Women in Business
Development Incorporated (WIBDI) used Skyeye owned drones i.e. fixed wings professional
mapping UAVs for mapping the operations in coconut gardens. The drone captures images of
farms that are not easily accessible and fly as per the requirements. The drones were
specifically used for mapping the boundaries, collect data for forecasting the yield and
production of virgin coconut oil etc. (http://ictupdate.cta.int/2016/04/21/counting-coconuts-
with-drones/)

iv. Social Media

Social media is playing a crucial role in technology transfer. Farmers can be connected with
the researchers through whatsapp, facebook, you tube, twitter etc. Farmers can share their
experience through social media and this may help the fellow farmers to know about the
technologies and their success. It will serve as a discussion group for the farming community.
This will strengthen the farmer to farmer communication.

6.1. Research-Extension-Farmer interface facilitated through ICT: Research-Extension-

Farmer interface can be facilitated through effective use of ICT. Experiences of CPCRI have
clearly shown that interactive videoconferencing as an ICT tool can be effectively used for
linking research, extension and farming community. Farmers have perceived high utility for
the interface programmes facilitated through videoconferencing since they were able to have
one to one interaction with scientists and could get technical guidance on various field
problems experienced in farming. There is scope to further enhance the effectiveness of
interface programmes facilitated through conducting follow up programmes.

6.2. e-kalpa mobile application

Appropriate and timely technology back stopping can improve efficiency of small and
marginal farmers for utilising crop management technologies . ICAR-CPCRI developed an
interactive multilingual mobile application customized to farmers of different states, named
‘e-kalpa’ which was pilot tested and refined with components such as knowledge base, field
issue management, synchronized farming, input calculator and crop information. It is
accessible in online and offline mode and available free of cost in Google play store. Real
time reporting of field problems in audio, video or image modes and thus, direct interaction
with experts of ICAR CPCRI is the unique feature of value added extension service of this
app. The multilingual App is available in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and Bengali

371
languages. The components of the e kalpa comprised of knowledge base containing 105
technologies snippets on coconut (69 Nos.) areca nut (21 Nos.) and cocoa (16 Nos). The
component “basic crop information” in English and Malayalam languages of 59 inter/mixed
crops was made available for users practicing coconut and areca nut based cropping systems
as a ready reckoner. Based on the farmers’ feedback an ‘input calculator for coconut’ was
added and the farmer users could get customized detailed output on quantity of inputs to be
applied for exact number of coconut seedlings/bearing palms individually and in total, in their
gardens upon entering the details in English or Malayalam.

7. Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav (MGMG)

Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav is the initiative by ICAR for promoting the direct interface of
agricultural scientists with the farmers to hasten the lab to land process. Field problems are
analysed and suggestions to overcome the problems are made available to the farming
community through MGMG. National priorities such as secondary agriculture, climate
change, good agricultural practices and soil and health management of crops are given
importance in this programme. ICAR-CPCRI have been implementing various technology
transfer programmes to benefit coconut farmers in 60 selected villages spread over six states
under MGMG initiative.
8. Technology assessment and refinement in coconut
ICAR sponsored National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP) project on Technology
Assessment and Refinement through Institution-Village Linkage Programme (IVLP) was
implemented by CPCRI in selected villages in Kasaragod district. Farmer participatory
technology assessment and refinement approach, the implementation of which begins with
the selection of a suitable village, followed by a detailed agro-ecosystem analysis,
diagnosing the problems of each production system and prioritising these problems;
identification of technological interventions based on problem-cause relationship; the
development of action plans and their implementation; and detailed socio-economic
evaluation including farmers’ reactions and perceptions about the interventions. This is
carried out using various PRA tools and techniques. Implementation of the project revealed
the effectiveness of participatory approach in the performance assessment of various
technologies related to intercropping, nutrient management and crop protection in coconut
(Thamban et al., 2004).

9. Covid-19 pandemic and technology transfer programmes in coconut

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis which is already affecting the food and agriculture
sector. Coconut sector also is affected by the pandemic and the focal theme of World
Coconut Day 2021 as proposed by International Coconut Community (ICC) was ‘Building a
safe inclusive resilient and sustainable coconut community amid Covid-19 pandemic and
beyond’. Precautions are to be taken to observe strictly all the Covid-19 protocols while
organising technology transfer programmes involving coconut farmers and other stakeholders
in order to avoid spread of the disease. Virtual platforms are to be effectively utilised for the

372
interactions among farmers, extension personnel, scientists and other stakeholders wherever
possible.

10. Conclusion
Research institutions have evolved a substantial number of technologies under various
thematic areas for addressing the major issues and for sustainable growth and development of
coconut sector in the country. In order to increase the field level utilisation of these
technologies, appropriate extension interventions are to be implemented taking into account
various challenges in the sector. ICAR-CPCRI and other agencies have implemented various
innovative extension approaches for the benefit of coconut farming community and other
stakeholders. The impact of the innovative extension approaches deployed clearly indicates
their importance and relevance for sustainable development of coconut sector in the changing
socio-economic scenario. However, concerted efforts by research, development and extension
agencies coupled with active involvement of farming community and other stakeholders are
required to scale up these approaches to benefit the sector.

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