Assam is leading in coconut production among all northeastern states, according to Rajat Kumar Pal, the Director of the Coconut Development Board. However, it still lags when competing at the national level. Speaking on key visions during a recent interaction with Business North East (BNE), director Rajat Kumar Pal said necessary steps have been taken in coconut farming, which has helped Assam surpass its regional counterparts in production and area under cultivation.
According to FY 2022-23 statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture, Assam produced 156.92 million coconuts, of which Nagaon, Barpeta, Kamrup rural and Nalbari had maximum production.
In contrast, the coconut production across the entire northeastern region stood at 180.07 million nuts. Assam currently uses 21580 hectares of land for coconut farming to increase production. It is contributing meaningfully to the Northeast's agricultural production. In contrast, the entire Northeast encompasses 27,380 hectares for coconut farming.
"In Assam, coconut can be cultivated in almost all the districts," Rajat Kumar Pal stated, highlighting the vast potential for expanding coconut farming in the state. He shared that the conducive climate and soil settings across Assam joined with government initiatives, have allowed coconut farming to flourish in many districts.
Rajat Kumar Pal, Director, Coconut Development Board
with journalist Priyanka Chakrabarty
Tripura’s Growing Coconut Industry
After Assam, Tripura is the next to strive in coconut production in the Northeast. The state has seen stable improvements in coconut cultivation due to its favourable agro-climatic conditions. The state government has been active in nurturing the growth of the coconut industry. It has applied policies to improve production and the well-being of coconut farmers.
Rajat Kumar Pal said that the area under coconut farming in Tripura has remained steady at 300 hectares over the past two years. The Directorate of Horticulture in Tripura has played a dynamic role in this progress by presenting various efforts to help coconut farming. However, it still faces challenges in terms of scaling up its efforts.
Challenges in Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh follows Tripura in the production rankings, but the state faces several limits in coconut farming. Only a few districts closer to Assam have shown promise for coconut farming. "There are districts near Assam with the potential for coconut farming, but the overall conditions in Arunachal Pradesh remain less conducive," the director explained.
The Coconut Development Board supports Arunachal Pradesh by providing coconut seedlings and other resources to establish coconut gardens in these promising districts. Moreover, it is maximizing land accessibility to offer long-term potential for expanding coconut farming if the right conditions and support are in place.
Garo Hills: Untapped Region With Potential
Rajat Kumar Pal said the Garo Hills, situated next to Assam, also hold a significant role in coconut farming. These areas have shown potential for agricultural expansion. However, local farmers mainly focus on areca nut cultivation due to its cash crop status,
"The challenge here is that people are very much prone to areca nut cultivation because it is less labour-intensive and more profitable," he said, adding, "Areca nut farming remains dominant due to its ease of management compared to other crops like coconut."
Despite this, the Coconut Development Board is actively working to familiarize coconut farming in the region, inspiring farmers to diversify their crops by planting coconut alongside areca nuts. This twin cropping system could help boost the local economy and provide farmers with an additional source of income.
“Only 20-30 per cent of coconut comes from the South. People always desire our Assam tall var nuts. Tender nuts (dub) 100 per cent local also exported to neighbouring states like Nagaland, Meghalaya etc,” Rajat Kumar Pal added.
Future Plans for Coconut Development
Further, the Coconut Development Board has determined plans to increase coconut farming across the Northeast. One major initiative includes the introduction of high-quality planting material.
Additionally, the Board plans to establish Technology Development Centres to educate farmers about the saleable production of value-added coconut products like virgin coconut oil and desiccated coconut powder.
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These centres will serve as hubs for innovation, where farmers and local entrepreneurs can learn about advanced processing techniques and scale up production to meet growing market demands.
"These centres will not only help farmers but also open up new avenues for local businesses, especially in producing coconut-based products," the director noted. The introduction of such technology centres objects to alter coconut farming from a traditional agricultural movement to a modern, commercial venture.
He revealed that the Board also plans to recover the logistics of coconut farming, which is currently disjointed. A key portion of this initiative will be organizing farmers into cooperatives, which will help streamline supply chains and make it easier to aggregate raw materials for processing industries.
Rajat Kumar Pal stressed that organized cultivation is the future of coconut farming in the region. For this, firming logistics will be critical to scaling up production. With these initiatives in place, Northeast could see significant growth in coconut production.
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