Coconut in Pondicherry

Highest Coconut Producing Countries in the World

Rank	Country	Coconuts Produced (tons)
1	Indonesia	18,300,000
2	Philippines	15,353,200
3	India	11,930,000
4	Brazil	2,890,286
5	Sri Lanka	2,513,000
6	Vietnam	1,303,826
7	Papua New Guinea	1,200,000
8	Mexico	1,064,400
9	Thailand	1,010,000
10	Malaysia	646,932

 

 

 

Top 10 Largest Coconut Producing States In India

S.No.	State	Productivity (Nuts/Hectare)	Area (Lakh Hectare)	Production (Million Nuts)
1	Tamil Nadu	14,872	4.65	6917.25
2	Kerala	7,486	7.97	5968.01
3	Karnataka	9,745	5.17	5041.15
4	Andhra Pradesh	14,997	1.21	1828.46
5	West Bengal	12,656	0.29	370.83
6	Odisha	6,399	0.50	324.93
7	Gujarat	9,328	0.31	295.03
8	Maharashtra	6,676	0.28	187.47
9	Bihar	9,273	0.15	141.42
10	Assam	6,753	0.20	136.61

 

 

 

Largest Coconut Importing Countries in the World

S.No	Country	Imports (KG)	% in Total Imports
1	China	611397679	69.30%
2	USA	45169952	5.12%
3	Netherlands	37160849	4.21%
4	United Kingdom	23893847	2.71%
5	Spain	19701817	2.23%
6	Mexico	16259379	1.84%
7	Germany	13380723	1.52%
8	Canada	10080683	1.14%
9	Japan	8712442	0.99%
10	Slovenia	6771629	0.77%

 

Coconut is one of the most useful plants that can be used in the preparation of various things like chemicals, food, beverages, fibers, oils, building materials and much more.  It is present in the world in abundance; however, there are basically three varieties of coconut trees found in the world. These are:

• Tall Variety: The tall variety of coconut palm trees attains a height of 15m to 18 m and sometimes even more. These can be cultivated in different soil types like laterite, littoral, red loam etc. The nuts grown on tall trees are big and in the shape of either spheroid or linear-oblong. These coconuts can be found in colors like green, yellow, orange and brown.

• Dwarf Variety: The dwarf variety of coconut palm trees are much shorter than the tall ones and attain a maximum height of 5m to 7m. The nuts of dwarf variety are generally smaller in size and found to be in ovoid or round shapes. These small coconuts can be green, orange or yellow in color.

• Hybrid Variety: The hybrid variety of coconut palm trees is formed by the intervarietal crossing of the tall and dwarf variety. The nuts produced by the hybrid coconut palm trees are better in quality and more in quantity. The hybrid variety trees bear early fruits and higher nut yield as compared to the parent trees.

Indonesia is ranked first in the list of the largest coconut producing countries in the world. The tropical climate that prevails throughout the year in this trans-continental country makes Indonesia an ideal location of coconut production. The country produces around 18,300,000 metric tons of coconut annually.

The southern state of Tamil Nadu bags the title of the largest coconut producing country in the world. It produces approximately 6917.25 million coconuts every year which are grown in 4.65 lakh hectare of dedicated land for coconut production. The productivity of coconut is quite high with 14,872 coconuts produces per hectare in this state. Kerala comes second and Karnataka comes third in the list of the top coconut producing states in India.

China is entitled as the largest coconut importing country in the world. It imports approximately 611,397,679 Kg coconuts annually. When clubbed with the second largest importer the USA with 45,169,952 Kg of annual import, the two countries import approximately 74.42% of the total world import.

Knowledge about coconut and its production is important in order to ensure a better and more yielding produce from the coconut palm tree.
Dos

• The mother palm should be selected carefully
• The seed should be planted in the right season
• If the seeds do not germinate within 5 months, it should be removed
• When the seedling becomes 9-12 months old, it is ready to be transplanted
• Cut the sides of the seedling every year and fill the pit with soil
• The collar region of the seedling may get accumulated with soil, remove it carefully
• Fertigation and drip irrigation should be used if possible
• Drip irrigation helps prevent the spreading of Basal Stem Rot
• Test the value of soil and choose the right balance of manures and fertilizers
• To protect the bud from rotting, incorporate a proper drainage facility
• If chemical pesticides are used then 45 days should be the minimum wait time before each harvest
• For pest control and disease management, it is advisable to use biocontrol agents and plant products only
• While growing hybrids, the conditions should be well-managed to ensure proper growth

 

Don’ts

• Do not select mother palm from the trees that are growing nearby household, cattle sheds, compost pits etc
• Do not select mother palm from the trees that are already producing barren nuts
• Avoid using seed nuts that are collected from the immature ones
• Don’t overfill the storage space with nuts
• Don’t plant the seedlings during the rainy season in the low-lying regions
• Don’t have a nursery in an open area
• Don’t go for horizontal sowing or too wide/too close planting
• The seedling that is not 9 months old or is above 12 months old should not be transplanted
• The garden should not be plowed on a regular basis
• Don’t over irrigate the land
• Don’t use fertilizers without studying about them thoroughly
• Be very careful and don’t injure the stem or root of plant
• The green leaves should not be cut down
• Avoid irrigating using flood irrigation technique
• Avoid placing the pheromone traps in direct sunlight
• If growing hybrid plants, ensure that the area has sufficient water and does not have any soil problem