The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday listed out various measures to promote coconut cultivation in the State, while presenting the Agriculture Budget for 2024-25 in the Assembly.
To increase the productivity of coconut and to motivate the farmers to adopt improved technologies, demonstrations will be made in farmers’ fields and state coconut nurseries at an outlay of ₹12.50 crore, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare M.R.K. Panneerselvam said.
Demonstration would be established in 25,000 acres at ₹12 crore to show how timely application of necessary inputs in right quantities would improve the productivity of coconut, he said.
Under the Integrated Coconut Development Scheme, the area under coconut cultivation would be increased by 10,000 acres along with intercropping by distributing seven lakh quality coconut seedlings at an outlay of ₹4.8 crore, he said.
“Assistance will be given for intercropping with banana upto five year old coconut gardens and nutmeg in well developed coconut gardens at an outlay of ₹5.7 crore,” the Minister said.
To meet the demand for coconut seedlings, assistance would be extended for the establishment of coconut nurseries, upgradation of state coconut nurseries, rejuvenation of old coconut gardens and setting up of unit for conversion of coconut waste into organic manure, he said.
Integrated pest and nutrient management strategies would be demonstrated among coconut farmers to control Kerala Root Wilt disease and Whitefly and a sum of ₹1.15 crore would be allocated in this regard, he said.
During 2024-25, 60 coconut nurseries would be established in coordination with Horticulture Department through interested and trained women self help groups at a cost of ₹2.40 crore. The coconut seedlings produced in these nurseries will be supplied to Horticulture Department for distribution under schemes, he said.
Training with demonstration will be conducted for farmers in five state coconut nurseries on timely harvest of coconut, solar drying and oil extraction.
