International Journal of Engineering Research and Modern Education (IJERME)

ISSN (Online): 2455 - 4200

(www.rdmodernresearch.com) Volume I, Issue II, 2016
A STUDY ON MARKETING PROBLEMS OF
COCONUT WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO
COIMBATORE DISTRICT
Dr. G. Bhoopathy
Associate Professor, School of Commerce, RVS College of Arts and Science, Sulur,
Tamilnadu
Introduction:
A proverb in Philippine “If you could count the stars, then you could count all the
ways the coconut tree serves us” It is true in India Coconut industry is contributing
more than Rs. 8300 million to the Indian GDP and this industry helps to earning foreign
exchange to tune of Rs. 13000 million per annum. The major portion of coconut
cultivation is from the four south Indian states, namely Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh and Karnataka, which comes up to 90 per cent of total coconut production. This
crop has a significant impact on social and cultural impact on the coconut cultivators.
Marketability and price established of coconut and it by products determine the
economic condition of farmers. Tamil Nadu is one of the most important states in
country in terms of coconut production after the state of Kerala. Tamil Nadu is one of
the leading coconut producing states in India. Tamil Nadu cultivates coconut around
5365 million nuts from 389900 hectares. Tamil Nadu shows highest coconut
productivity among other coconut producing states of India. Almost all the districts
producing coconut in Tamil Nadu among those top three districts are Coimbatore,
Thanjavur and Dindigul.
Agriculture has been playing a predominant role in the economic development of
all developed and developing countries. Ever since India’s independence agriculture in
India has taken strides owing to the varietal and agronomic interventions of agricultural
research and the resourcefulness of the farming community. In recent years, agriculture
has gone through a lot of changes viz., adoption of new scientific methods of production,
new farming practices and new methods of marketing. Now, it is considered as an
industry supplying food materials to the millions and basic raw materials such as
Cashew nut, Coconut, Coconut and cotton, and the like for industrial development.
Coconut is a horticultural commodity. It is grown in tropical and sub-tropical areas of
the globe. Coconut is grown in more than 86 countries worldwide, with a total
production of 54 billion nuts per annum. India occupies the third position in the world
with an annual production of 13 billion nuts, overtaking Indonesia and the Philippines,
the other two prominent coconut-growing countries. The coconut palm exerts a
profound influence on the rural economy of the many states where it is grown
extensively and it provides sustenance to more than 10 million people. The export
earnings derived by India from coconut are around Rs.3000 million, mainly through the
export trade in coir and coir goods. The processing and related activities centered on
the crop generate employment opportunities for over two million people in India. The
contribution of coconut oil to the national edible oil pool is 6 per cent. In addition, the
crop contributes Rs.7000 crores annually to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In
productivity too, India ranks number one among other coconut growing countries in the
world. The average productivity of coconut in the country is 6898 nuts per ha. Among
the four major coconut growing states, Tamil Nadu has the highest productivity (11620
nuts/ha), Andhra Pradesh has a productivity of 8296 nuts/ha, followed by Kerala (5793
nuts/ha) and Karnataka (5204 nuts/ha).

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 International Journal of Engineering Research and Modern Education (IJERME)
ISSN (Online): 2455 - 4200
(www.rdmodernresearch.com) Volume I, Issue II, 2016
The Coimbatore district is one of the districts which cultivate amount of coconut
in Tamilnadu. The farmers who cultivate the coconut in the district have to sell the
produces either directly in the market or to the merchant in the locality. Some of the
farmers have their own industry where the coconut dried in the field and after that it is
sold for coconut oil manufacturers. Few of the farmers have their own industry for
making coconut oil. But most of the farmers sell their coconut the merchant in the local
area or sell directly in the neibouring market.
The coconut Development board helps to the farmers in cultivating and
marketing of coconut. The employees and workers of Coconut Development Board visit
the coconut farm and give guidance to control the diseases in the coconut. Further the
farmers face number of problems in cultivating and marketing of coconut in the study
area. It is reported that the farmers could not able to get adequate price for the coconut
in many occasions. It makes the farmers economically weak which leads to increase in
the borrowings of the farmers year by year. Many farmers of coconut in the study area
face similar issues in marketing the coconut cultivated. Nobody takes care of the
framers problem in marketing the coconut in the study area. Hence to know the
problems faced by the farmers in the study area a thorough study is to undertaken. By
the above views in mind the researcher selected the topic “A Study on Marketing
Problems of Coconut with Special Reference to Coimbatore District” for her research
work
Statement of the Problem:
Coconut is one of the leading commodities in agricultural exports; the production
programme of the crop is of critical importance in improving the efficient use of
resources. The cost of production and net return obtained per unit, would determine
the profitability of the crop. The constraints in enhancing productivity among the
coconut cultivators are lack of awareness on recent development related to crop
improvement, lack of quality planting materials to farmers, lack of proper management
practices and pest problems are to be tackled consciously to make coconut farming
attractive. Though production is the initiation of the developmental process, it could
bring less gain to the producers unless there exists an efficient marketing system. The
producers depend upon the market conditions to fulfill their hopes and expectations.
But forced sales, multiplicity of market charges, malpractices in unregulated markets
and superfluous middlemen are the problems faced by the cultivators Though coconut
has a pride, not only for its diverse uses but also for its special preference to consumers,
both rich and poor, it is subjected to the above stated production and marketing
problems. The Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu is one of the leading coconut
producing regions and hence the researcher thought that, it is worth to study and
analyze the problems and prospects of coconut cultivation and marketing in the
selected district.
Significance of the Study:
People are engaged in various activities to generate income to the family based
on the efficiency, knowledge, family occupation or any other activities in which the
individual has knowledge. Likewise most of the rural people in our country are involved
in agricultural activities for generating income to the family. Cultivation of coconut is
one of the most important sources for generating income to the agricultural workers. In
all activities people get some short of income based on the work or effort taken by the
individuals. Regarding the farmers’ income there is no guarantee for getting the
expected return from their crop. Various factors like natural calamities, price
fluctuation, problems from insects and also rainfall have considerable impact on the

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 International Journal of Engineering Research and Modern Education (IJERME)
ISSN (Online): 2455 - 4200
(www.rdmodernresearch.com) Volume I, Issue II, 2016
income of a farmer. They could not sometimes get the amount put in to grow or
cultivate any types of crop. There is no chance for reimbursement of the amount lost by
the farmers due to the crop failures or low yielding from the crops.
The harvesting period for the crops cultivated varies from crop to crop. Most of
the crops are harvested within 4 months; few crops take 6 months for yielding. Banana,
consume at least 1 year for yielding and harvesting. The farmers who involved in
coconut cultivation have to wait more than 5 years to get income from the crops. Up to
harvesting of coconut the farmers are in a position to invest huge amount in the crops
and also to manage their family. Crop failure and fall in price render more trouble to the
farmers. They face difficulties in arranging funds for cultivating inter crop and to meet
the family expenses. When the coconuts are sold to the merchant, they make delay in
making payment to the farmers. Unnecessary delay in getting amount from the
merchant forces the farmers to borrow money from money lenders or from other
sources. This is the regular practice and problems faced by the farmers involved in
marketing of coconut. The government does not fix the rate per ton for purchasing the
coconut from the farmers. But it is reported from farmer’s side that the rate given to
coconut while buying from the farmer is not adequate. Hence the farmers could not get
enough income from their crops. They always lead very normal life with low standard of
living when compared with others. This pathetic situation of the farmers in the study
area should be changed. The government and the authorities concerned should know
the real causes for problems of the farmers in the study area. Hence this research study
gets vital importance to know the practical difficulties of the farmers who cultivate
coconut and find out the remedial measures to solve the problems of the farmers in
marketing of coconut and bring their standard of living to a better position to lead a
peaceful life like others.
Objective of the Study:
This study is planned with the following objectives
 To verify the existing method and technology adopted for cultivation of
production of coconut in the study area;
 To evaluate the method adopted by the farmers to market the produces in the
study area
 To know the support provided by the Coconut Development Board to the
farmers in the study area
 To identify the satisfaction level of respondents regarding the support provided
by the Coconut Development Board.
 To analyze the problems faced by the respondents and causes the problems
 To find out the remedial measures to solve the problems faced by the
respondents and offer recommendations to the needy group.
Research Methodology:
Research Design: Descriptive research was conducted in this study to make the
research effective and useful to the needy.
Collection of Data: Both the primary and secondary data were collected in this
research work
Primary Data: Primary data was collected from the sample respondents from the
population by way preparing a questionnaire. The questionnaire was prepared with the
guidance of the experts in the relevant field. Necessary corrections were made in the
questionnaire to complete the research work successfully.
Secondary Data: Secondary data was collected from the journals and magazine
published in the related topics.

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 International Journal of Engineering Research and Modern Education (IJERME)
ISSN (Online): 2455 - 4200
(www.rdmodernresearch.com) Volume I, Issue II, 2016
Sample Selection: The population for the study is framers cultivating coconut in the
study area. As the population for the study is numerous in the study area, 200 the
respondents were selected at random by using convenient sampling method from
farmers involved in coconut cultivation.
Study Period: The study period for the research work will cover 3month period
starting from January 2016-March-2016
Study Area: Coimbatore district is being one of the districts which are having more
acres of cultivable land especially for coconut cultivation. Further the Coimbatore
district is very popular for different varieties of coconut cultivation where the
Tamilnadu agricultural university is located. Further Pollachi is very popular fro
coconut cultivation in Tamilnadu and also has potential market for coconut which is
coming under Coimbatore district. Hence the researcher selected Coimbatore district
for her research work.
Statistical Tools: The collected data were analyzed and interpreted properly to find the
result of the research work. Further to know the association between two variables in
deciding the particular issues statistical tools like simple percentage, chi-square, rank
correlation, were applied.
Limitation of the Study:
 The data was collected from respondents of Coimbatore District. So the findings
of the study may not be considered for other districts.
 As the respondents did not co-operate well at the time of questionnaire or
interview schedule, the findings were based on the information given by the
respondents. There may be possibility for bias in the information provided by
the respondents.
 The researcher collected data only from the farmers who involved in cultivation
of coconut. Hence the findings of the research may not be considered for framing
policy decisions for the farmers involved in cultivation of other crops.
Review of Literature:
The review of the earlier studies and the experience of the researchers help one
in evaluating the strength and weakness of the concepts used earlier. An attempt is
made here to review several such studies and specify appropriate concepts as
applicable to the present study.
S. Rajkumar and R. Thamil Selvan 1in their study entitled “Importance of Coconut
Cultivation” pointed out the significance of coconut as a source of edible oil and as an
agro-based raw material for many industries such as manufacture of shell powder, and
handicrafts. Fermented coconut toddy is an intoxicant used widely in the west coast of
India. Vinegar and jaggery are important by – products of coconut toddy. The tree trunk
is used as a building material and for making furniture. Fifty percent of the total coconut
production is converted into copra. Coconut crop is raised in India under varying soil
and climatic conditions in 17 states and 3 Union Territories. As the coconut tree is
versatile in its adaptability to wide range of soil conditions, coconut cultivation has
begun to spread from the west coast of India to interior regions of Tamil Nadu
especially to Erode District and Thanjavur District. In an indepth study of coconut
development in India, Sugata Ghose traces the different stages of coconut development.
Expansion of European soap and edible oil companies offered great opportunity to India

1Raj Kumar S. and Thamilselvan, R. “Importance of Coconut Cultivation”, Kisan World,

Vol. 32, No. 5, May 2005, p. 58.

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 International Journal of Engineering Research and Modern Education (IJERME)
ISSN (Online): 2455 - 4200
(www.rdmodernresearch.com) Volume I, Issue II, 2016
to export copra in the latter half of the 19th century. Steady increase in export trade
enhanced the pace of coconut development. On the eve of the First World War, India
was one of the leading exporters of copra, the annual quantum of export being 30
tonnes of copra and 10,000 tonnes of coconut oil.
S.S. Nagarajan 2 has found from a study of coconut productivity in the
Rangasamudram Village of the Coimbatore District of Tamil nadu, that 75 West- Coast
Tall variety palms per bacre receiving regularly both organic and inorganic manures at
the rate of 30 kgs of farm yard manure, 1 Kg of urea, 2 Kgs each of super phosphate and
muriate of potash, 1 kg of micro-nutrient mixture and 2kgs of powdered neem cake per
palm per year has resulted in a yield of 100 nuts per tree per year. The nuts are sold
locally at an average price of Rs. 4/- per nut. The annual cultivation cost per acre is Rs.
12,000/- Gross revenue is around Rs. 30,000/- and the net income is Rs. 18,000/-. But
after application of silt over the entire extent of the garden prior to the nonset of the
monsoon every year, productivity per tree increased to 120 nuts/ yr., raising the total
revenue per acre to Rs. 36,000/- at an additional cost of Rs. 3,000/-. Net income per
acre rose from Rs. 18,000/- to Rs. 21,000/-. Nagarajan concludes that regular
application of silt containing organic matter stimulates soil life, helps multiplication of
earth-worms and improvement of physical properties of soil. Ultimately use of synthetic
fertilizers can be minimized or even dispensed with as this system depends on the
primary production capacity of the soil and positive biotic interactions. It is also
suggested that raising intercrops like banana and turmeric will fetch more income for
the coconut farmer.
Sugata Ghose 3 gives a brief sketch of the different stages in the progress of
coconut production in India since independence and points out the encouraging trend
after the formation of the Coconut Development Board in 1981. The efforts of the Board
resulted in increase in production and productivity and by 1996 total production was
13.9 billion nuts with the index reaching the all time high of 425.6 points. Productivity
increased to 7779 nuts per hectare. Even though a slight decrease occurred during 1996
to 98 total production was maintained at the level of 13 billion nuts and India became
the highest producer of coconut in the world.
Jose Mathew4 advocates the advantages of Drip Fertigation as a successful
technology for integrating irrigation and fertilization. According to him irrigation and
fertilization are the two most critical management factors that influence growth, yield
and quality of agricultural crops. The use efficiency of these inputs is very low in India
i.e 30 to 40 percent. This leads to low crop productivity, degradation of soil health, and
increased environmental pollution apart from the wastage of substantial quantity of
these costly and scarce inputs. Adoption of Drip Fertigation technology has opened up
new possibilities to optimize and integrate the use of water and fertilizer enabling to
harness high crop yield and ensuring a healthy soil environment. R. Veeraputhiran5
suggests the following strategies to implement drip irrigation which will improve

2 Nagarajan S. S. “Improving Coconut Farm Productivity with Silt”, Kisan World, Vol.25,
No.5, May 1998, pp.19-20
3 Sugata Ghose, “Coconut – India’s Pride”, Kisan world, Vol. 25, No. 8, August 1998, pp.

27-31
4 Jose Mathew, “Drip Irrigation – A Successful Technology with Multiple Benefits”, Kisan

World, Vol. 30, No. 1, January, 2003, p. 50.

5 Veeraputhiran R. “Drip Irrigation for Sustainable Water Management”, Kisan World,

Vol. 32, No. 1, January 2005, pp. 49-51.

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 International Journal of Engineering Research and Modern Education (IJERME)
ISSN (Online): 2455 - 4200
(www.rdmodernresearch.com) Volume I, Issue II, 2016
irrigation efficiency to 80 to 90 percent (1) Allocation of government subsidy for drip
irrigation (2) simplified procedure for the disbursement of subsidy (3) reduction of
gestation period to avail subsidy. Veeraputhiran recommends fertilization for applying
fertilizers under drip irrigation and herbigation as a new method of weed management.
He concludes that drip irrigation system is highly suitable for adoption in growing trees
and fruit trees, wide-spaced and commercial crops and that there is great prospect for
rapid expansion of area under drip irrigation in the 21st century. Outlining the water
saving irrigation methods followed to supplement the age old surface irrigation method
such as Sprinkler/Overhead Irrigation Method and Micro or Drip Irrigation,
R.K. Sivanappan6 concludes that in view of the scarcity of water, it is essential to
manage water efficiently for all crops and he recommends the use of drip irrigation for
all crops in all soils, particularly for wide spaced high value commercial crops like
coconut, grapes, vegetables and fruit crops.
V. Rajagopal7 et al., of the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasargod,
Kerala dealt at length with the distinctive features of coconut, its strength and
weaknesses as a perennial crop. According to him in coconut largest number of germ
plasm is available for effective utilization to increase productivity and for breeding
disease resistant varieties. Moreoveer, there is greater scope for the adoption of new
technologies and community level approach for augmenting farm income. Coconut
development is a potential source for women empowerment through self-help groups.
According to these researchers the availability of time-tested and proven technologies
for adoption at the farmers level provides scope for inter/multi/mixed crops in coconut
farms. Coconut products and by products of high economic value are potentials for
export and earnings in international markets. But decline in farm income imposed by
factors such as fluctuating market price, pests and diseases, adverse climatic conditions,
non-competitiveness at the global level and decline in general price level of coconut
products at the international level are some of the threats faced by coconut industry.
Table 1: Association between Age of the Respondents and Their Opinion about the
Experience in Coconut Cultivation
Experience in Coconut
% of the
Serial No Age in years Less than 5 Total
5-10 years 10-15 years respondents
years
1 20-30 10 (9.4) 6(5.9) 0(0.6) 16 8.00
2 31-40 49(47.2) 29(29.6) 2(3.2) 80 40.00
3 41-50 34(35.4) 22(22.2) 4(2.4) 60 30.00
4 Above 50 years 25(26) 17(16.3) 2(1.8) 44 22.00
Total 118 74 8 200 100
The Figures in the Parenthesis are Expected Frequencies
Null Hypothesis:
There is no association between age of the respondents and their opinion
regarding the experience in cultivating coconut.
Alternative Hypothesis: There is an association between age of the respondents and
their opinion regarding the experience in cultivating coconut

6 Sivanappan R. K. “An Overview of Irrigation Methods”, Kisan World, Vol. 32, No. 7, July
2005, pp. 46-47
7 Rajagopal V., Arul Raj S., Sairam C. V. “Coconut Industry –Improving Genetic Produce”

The Hindu Survey of Indian Agriculture, 2004, pp. 67-69.

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 International Journal of Engineering Research and Modern Education (IJERME)
ISSN (Online): 2455 - 4200
(www.rdmodernresearch.com) Volume I, Issue II, 2016
Table 2
Factor Calculated value χ2 Table Value DF Remarks
Age 2.429 12.592 6 Insignificant
As the calculated value of chi-square χ2 (2.429) is less than table value(12.592)
for 6 degrees of freedom at 5% level of significance, There is no association between the
age of the respondents and their opinion about the experience in cultivating coconut.
Hence the null hypothesis is accepted and it is inferred that there is no significant
relationship between the age of the respondents and their opinion about the experience
in cultivating the coconut. The experience in cultivating the coconut may be depending
on some other factors like family occupation, availability of land for cultivating coconut,
etc.
Table 3: Association between Income of the Respondents and the Type of Coconut
Cultivated
Type of coconut cultivated
% of the
Serial No Income Traditional Total
Hybrid Seed Both respondents
Seed
1 Up to E60000 5(10.3) 5(7.4) 17(9.3) 27 13.5
2 E60001-100000 25(17.1) 9(12.4) 11(15.5) 45 22.5
E 100001-
3 28(30.4) 29(22.0) 23(27.6) 80 40.0
200000
4 Above E200000 18(18.2) 12(13.2) 18(16.6) 48 24.0
Total 76 55 69 200 100
The figures in the parenthesis are expected frequencies
Null Hypothesis:
There is no association between income of the respondents and the type of
coconut cultivated
Alternative Hypothesis:
There is an association between income of the respondents and the type of
coconut cultivated
Table 4
Factor Calculated value χ2 Table Value DF Remarks
Income 19.139 12.592 6 Significant
As the calculated value of chi-square χ2 (19.139) is greater than table
value(12.592) for 6 degrees of freedom at 5% level of significance, There is an
association between the income of the respondents the type of coconut cultivated.
Hence the null hypothesis is rejected and it is inferred that there is a significant
relationship between the income of the respondents and the type of coconut cultivated.
Table 5: Association between Educational Qualification of the Respondents and the
Type of Irrigation
Type of irrigation
Educational % of the
Serial No Drip Total
qualification Well water Canal water respondents
Irrigation
Up to 12th
1 29(33.9) 4(8.3) 95(85.8) 128 64
standard
2 Degree 20(13.8) 7(3.4) 25(34.8) 52 26
3 Diploma 4(4.2) 2(1) 10(10.7) 16 8
4 others 0(1.1) 0(0.3) 4(2.7) 4 2
Total 53 13 134 200 100
The figures in the parenthesis are expected frequencies

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 International Journal of Engineering Research and Modern Education (IJERME)
ISSN (Online): 2455 - 4200
(www.rdmodernresearch.com) Volume I, Issue II, 2016
Null Hypothesis:
There is no association between Educational qualifications of the respondents
and the type of irrigation followed by the respondents
Alternative Hypothesis:
There is an association between Educational qualifications of the respondents
and the type of irrigation followed by the respondents
Table 6
Factor Calculated value χ2 Table Value DF Remarks
Educational Qualification 16.334 12.592 6 Significant
As the calculated value of chi-square χ2 (16.334) is greater than table
value(12.592) for 6 degrees of freedom at 5% level of significance, There is an
association between the income of the respondents the type of irrigation followed.
Hence the null hypothesis is rejected and it is inferred that there is a significant
relationship between the education of the respondents and the type of irrigation
followed by the respondents.
Table 7: Association between Experience of the Respondents in Cultivating Coconut and
the Basis of Selling Coconut
Experience in Basis of selling coconut
% of the
Serial No cultivating Both cash Total
For Cash For Credit respondents
coconut and Credit
Less than 5
1 66(64.9) 29(20.1) 23(33.0) 118 59
years
2 5-10 years 39(40.7) 5(12.6) 30(20.7) 74 37
3 10-15 years 5(4.4) 0(1.4) 3(2.2) 8 4
Total 110 34 56 200 100
The figures in the parenthesis are expected frequencies
Null Hypothesis:
There is no association between experience of the respondents in cultivating
coconut and the basis of selling the coconut
Alternative Hypothesis:
There is an association between experience of the respondents in cultivating
coconut and the basis of selling the coconut
Table 8
Factor Calculated Value χ2 Table Value DF Remarks
Educational Qualification 17.548 4 Significant
As the calculated value of chi-square χ2 (17.548) is greater than table value( )
for 4 degrees of freedom at 5% level of significance, There is an association between the
experience of the respondents in cultivating the coconut and basis of selling the
coconut. Hence the null hypothesis is rejected and it is inferred that there is a significant
relationship between the experience of the respondents in cultivating the coconut and
the basis adopted by the respondents for selling coconut.
Hendry Garrett Ranking:
The general problems faced by the farmers while cultivating and marketing of
coconut was studied by collecting the responses from the respondents by choosing
eleven major problems in cultivating and marketing the sugarcane. They are ‘more
labour cost, ‘Shortage of water due to rainfall failure, ‘More fluctuation in the price of
the coconut, ‘No subsidy from the government, ‘Power cut, no storage facility
‘Inadequate price for the coconut ’, ‘Delay in collecting the amount from the merchants ,
‘Lack of knowledge about diseases and pesticides, ‘Transportation, ‘Shortage of Labour,

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 International Journal of Engineering Research and Modern Education (IJERME)
ISSN (Online): 2455 - 4200
(www.rdmodernresearch.com) Volume I, Issue II, 2016
‘’The respondents were asked to rank the problems according to their perception and
the order of merit given by the respondents was converted into ranks using Garrett
ranking method. An attempt has been made to analyze the various problems faced by
the respondents while cultivating and marketing of the Coconut to the market.
100 (Rij-0.5)
Percent Position = ----------------
Nj
Rij = Rank given for ith variable by the jth respondents
Nj = Number of variables ranked by jth respondents
Table 9: Table Showing the Problems Faced By the Respondents
Ranks
S.No Problems Total
S11 S10 S9 S8 S7 S6 S5 S4 S3 S2 S1
1 P1 16 31 37 17 11 24 26 22 08 04 04 200
2 P2 42 47 34 14 05 30 13 02 07 03 03 200
3 P3 37 31 32 13 38 14 08 11 06 05 05 200
4 P4 32 17 18 34 39 17 10 17 05 07 04 200
5 P5 22 15 23 27 23 17 17 10 14 12 20 200
6 P6 16 17 13 29 18 33 19 14 14 14 13 200
7 P7 02 08 14 36 40 25 26 19 08 11 11 200
8 P8 09 09 05 05 11 13 23 30 57 16 22 200
9 P9 10 14 09 07 19 14 41 36 25 19 06 200
10 P10 08 10 04 06 09 11 16 28 27 25 56 200
11 P11 06 14 20 26 22 16 22 16 21 25 12 200
Total 200 213 209 214 235 214 221 205 192 141 156 2200
Table 9: Table Showing Hendry Garrett Ranking
Ranks Total Mean
S.No Problem Rank
S11 S10 S9 S8 S7 S6 S5 S4 S3 S2 S1 score score
1 P1 1328 2232 2405 1020 605 1200 1274 902 280 112 68 11426 57.13 IV
2 P2 3486 3384 2210 840 275 1500 637 82 245 84 51 12794 63.97 I
3 P3 3071 2232 2080 780 2090 700 392 451 210 140 85 12231 61.155 II
4 P4 2656 1224 1170 2040 2145 850 490 697 175 196 68 11711 58.555 III
5 P5 1826 1080 1495 1620 1265 850 833 410 490 336 340 10545 52.725 V
6 P6 1328 1224 845 1740 990 1650 931 574 490 392 221 10385 51.925 VI
7 P7 166 576 910 2160 2200 1250 1274 779 280 308 187 10090 50.45 VII
8 P8 747 648 325 300 605 650 1127 1230 1995 448 374 8449 42.245 X
9 P9 830 1008 585 420 1045 700 2009 1476 875 532 102 9582 47.91 IX
10 P10 664 720 260 360 495 550 784 1148 945 700 952 7578 37.89 XI
11 P11 498 1008 1300 1560 1210 800 1078 656 735 700 204 9749 48.745 VIII
From the above table it is inferred that among the problems based by the
respondents Shortage of water due to rainfall failure ’is given first rank with a Garrett
score of 12794 and an average of 63.97 followed by the problem “More fluctuation in
the price of the coconut gets second rank with a Garrett point 12231 and with an
average of 61.15, third rank given to the problem “No subsidy from the government”
with a Garrett point 11711 and an average of 58.55. The fourth rank given to the
problem ‘more labour cost’ with a Garrett point 11426 with an average of 57.13 and the
fifth rank goes to the problem ‘Power cut’ with a Garrett point of 10545 and an average
of 52.72 and the sixth rank given to the problem “no storage facility” with a Garrett
score of 10385 and average of 51.92, the seventh rank goes to ‘Inadequate price for the
coconut’ with a Garrett score of 10090 with an average of 50.45, the problem ‘Shortage
of Labour’ gets eighth place with Garrett point 9749 with an average of 48.74 and the
ninth rank goes to the problem ‘Lack of knowledge about diseases and pesticides ’ with
a Garrett point of 9582 with an average of 47.91, the tenth rank goes to the problem
‘Delay in collecting the amount from the merchants’ with a Garrett point 8449 with an

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 International Journal of Engineering Research and Modern Education (IJERME)
ISSN (Online): 2455 - 4200
(www.rdmodernresearch.com) Volume I, Issue II, 2016
average of 42.24 and finally the problem ‘Transportation’ gets eleventh place with a
Garrett point 7578 with an average of 37.89.
Findings:
 Majority (58.33 percent) of the respondents have studied up to 12th standard
 Most (40 percent) of the respondents are in the age group 41-50 years
 Major portion (43.33 percent) of the respondents gets an annual income
between E 100001 toE200000
 Most ( 82.5 percent) of the respondents are married
 Majority (.33 percent) of the respondents are living in rural area
 Most (77.50 percent) of the respondents have 3 to 5 dependents in their family
 Majority (58.33 percent) of the respondents informed that there are 2 earning
members in their family
 Most (54.17 percent) of the respondents informed that they follow traditional
method of farming
 Most (45.83 percent) of the respondents conveyed that they have 10-15 years
experience in farming
 Majority (88.33 percent) of the respondents informed that they have own land
for cultivation
 Most (47.50 percent) of the respondents informed that they use 10—15 acres of
land for cultivating coconut,
 Majority (37.50 percent) of the respondents informed that they cultivate
tradition type coconut in their land
 Most (64.17 percent) of the respondents informed that they are irrigating with
the help of Drip irrigation system in their land;
 Majority (45 percent) of the respondents informed that they both organic and
inorganic manures in their land
Chi-Square-Test:
 There is a significant relationship between the experience of the respondents in
cultivating the coconut and the basis adopted by the respondents for selling
coconut.
 There is a significant relationship between the education of the respondents and
the type of irrigation followed by the respondents.
 There is a significant relationship between the income of the respondents and
the type of coconut cultivated
 There is no significant relationship between the age of the respondents and their
opinion about the experience in cultivating the coconut
Correlation Test:
The opinion of the respondents are positively correlated in expressing their view
regarding the experience in cultivation, type of manure used, type of irrigation followed
by the respondents and Mode of selling the coconut cultivated by the respondents.
Suggestions:
 Some of the respondents informed that there is a great fluctuation in the price of
the coconut. In many occasion the farmers could not able get normal price to
match the expenses of the coconut land like erection of trip irrigation, deepening
the well for water resources etc. Hence the authorities concerned should try to
fix a fixed price for purchasing the coconut from the farmers
 Few respondents informed that they are facing problems due to power cut. The
coconut irrigation is highly affected which reduces the yielding capacity of the

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 International Journal of Engineering Research and Modern Education (IJERME)
ISSN (Online): 2455 - 4200
(www.rdmodernresearch.com) Volume I, Issue II, 2016
coconut tree. Hence the government should ensure the power supply without
any power cut to the farmers.
 Some of the farmers informed that they do not have adequate knowledge about
the diseases and the pesticides for controlling the diseases. Hence the
government if possible should arrange for an awareness programme to the
farmers regarding the diseases and also the pesticides to control the diseases in
the coconut tree.
 Few respondents informed that they face problems due to lack of adequate
storage facility to keep the coconut after harvesting. Hence the government may
try to provide storage facility to the farmers cultivating the coconut at a
reasonable hire charges.
Conclusion:
Coconut play a vital role in offering more employment opportunities to the rural
people and it is a profitable venture for all categories of farmers in spite of their high
initial investment and the fluctuating nature of nut price. Hence, it deserves a planned
and continuous attention from the various stakeholders. The present study has brought
out the profitability involved in the cultivation and economic aspects of coconut. The
suggestions made in the study are of immense use for the policy makers to make
appropriate decision for mitigating the problems faced by the coconut growers.
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