The state must fast-track the agriculture policy to stop coconut output decline
Coconuts are an integral part of Goa’s cultural, economic and ecological fabric. The fruit forms the foundation of the state’s culinary traditions and religious rituals. Economically, it drives various small-scale industries such as the production of coconut oil, coir, copra, jaggery, yeast, and alcoholic beverages like feni. Beyond the fruit, the tree holds touristic appeal. Coconut tree-lined village roads hold a special attraction of their own, drawing hordes of tourists armed with selfie sticks. This is what has elevated a road in
Parra to iconic status.
All this sounds very rosy. But the ground reality for the fruit is far from it. Coconut production has dropped for the second consecutive year. In 2024-25, the state’s coconut production on 26,818 ha was 150.79 million nuts. The following year, it declined to 128 million annually, spread across roughly 25,000 ha. Last year, we faced a shortage of coconuts during Ganesh Chaturthi and had to import them from neighbouring states. This year too, the situation will be no different. It was unbelievable that Goa, whose postcard pictures shows coconut palms across the state, would have to import the nut. It only speaks of how the government has been treating the Kalpavriksha. Moreover, it is the state tree — one of the two state trees, the other being Matti. It was after a people’s movement and public outcry against a government decision that coconut was designated a state tree through a legislation in December 2017, under pressure from the coalition partners of the Manohar Parrikar-led government. In January 2016, the BJP government had dropped the tree status accorded to the coconut tree by amending the Goa, Daman and Diu Preservation of Trees Act, 1984.
Despite favourable agro-climatic conditions, the state’s average productivity lags significantly behind, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Coconut plantations face many issues. Monkeys are playing havoc with the coconuts in the kulagars; a large portion of Goa’s palms are ageing; traditional coconut pluckers are increasingly scarce, driving up harvesting costs; high real estate valuations along coastal belts have led to the fragmentation and conversion of ancestral coconut orchards; and pest outbreaks have also affected production.
What needs to be done? Goa can leverage its culinary heritage and tourist footfall by promoting virgin coconut oil, coconut butter, etc, under the wellness category. Coconut products should also be pushed aggressively under MSME schemes. One positive decision the government has taken towards promoting coconut cultivation is that it has recently accepted the proposal of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry to support graduates from its own Goa College of Agriculture, Old Goa, as entrepreneurs to promote agro-processing by the youth.
With much fanfare, the government unveiled the Goa State Amritkal Agriculture Policy one and a half years ago. But so far, what has it done to boost the coconut industry? The policy recommended setting up a Goa Coconut, Cashew and Mango Development Board to drive growth, research and structured support for coconut farming. On World Coconut Day (today), let the state government come clean on the floor of the House on ways to boost coconut production. We need to get to the root cause of the decline in production. The issues faced by farm owners need to be tackled seriously and in a time-bound manner. The agriculture policy must be implemented as a top priority if we are serious about halting the decline in coconut production. Higher dedicated budgetary allocation is needed for coconut production. If we cannot be self-sufficient in coconut production, then what is the Swayampurna Goem we are talking about?
