Chennai : Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Saturday engaged in a key post-Budget consultation with coconut farmers, scientists, agricultural experts, and sector stakeholders at IIT Madras (or IITM Research Park) in Chennai.
The discussion centred on revitalising the coconut industry, boosting production, tackling longstanding challenges, and enhancing farmer incomes through the newly announced Coconut Promotion Scheme in the Union Budget 2026-27.
Chouhan highlighted Tamil Nadu’s pivotal role as one of India’s major coconut-producing states. He noted that approximately 1.25 crore farmers nationwide are engaged in coconut cultivation, with the livelihoods of around 3 crore people dependent on the sector.
The minister identified major hurdles facing the industry, including ageing plantations—many now nearly 60 years old—leading to declining yields, alongside persistent diseases such as root wilt and pests like white fly.
To counter these issues, Chouhan outlined government priorities: developing high-yielding, disease-resistant coconut varieties, replacing old plantations with new ones, establishing quality nurseries, upgrading processing infrastructure, and promoting value addition in coconut products to strengthen India’s position in global exports.
He emphasised the Coconut Promotion Scheme—announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—as a holistic initiative to support production, processing, and intercropping in coconut farms. Intercropping, he said, could provide farmers with supplementary income streams and improve overall farm economics.
The minister stressed ongoing consultations with farmers, scientists, experts, and state governments to refine the scheme’s implementation and finalise a robust framework, including the proposed Coconut Promotion Board for long-term institutional support.
Chouhan expressed particular optimism for Tamil Nadu, stating that nearly 28 per cent of the state’s coconut farmers stand to benefit directly from the proposed measures.
In a lighter note, the minister praised India’s linguistic diversity, encouraging participants to speak in their mother tongues during such forums—with translation support if needed—to reflect the nation’s cultural richness and unity.
The event follows the Budget announcement and forms part of broader efforts to address structural challenges in high-value crops like coconut, aligning with the government’s focus on agriculture-led rural transformation.