Coconut Promotion Scheme 2026-27: Features and Facts
Why in the news
The 2026-27 Budget announced a coconut-focused Central Sector Scheme. At that stage, it was still being drafted and state-wise funds were not fixed.
Key facts
- Funding comes from a Rs 350 crore pool for three high-value crops: coconut, cashew, cocoa.
- Aims: more output and productivity, higher farm income and rural jobs, stronger global competitiveness, value-added exports (oil, coir, desiccated coconut, coconut water, activated carbon).
| Component | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Replantation | Replace old, senile, low-yielding palms with high-yielding ones |
| Improved varieties | Disease-resistant, climate-resilient cultivars, incl. hybrids |
| Productivity | Better agronomy, irrigation, nutrient management |
| Value addition | Industries, branding and exports |
| Livelihoods | Targeted income security measures |
India’s coconut profile
- World’s No. 1 producer: 30.37 per cent share, around 21,374 million nuts.
- Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh: about 90 per cent; highest productivity in Lakshadweep.
- Coconut Development Board: founded 1981, Kochi, under the Agriculture Ministry; World Coconut Day: 2 September.
- Grown mostly by small holders; root-wilt, price swings and ageing palms hurt.
Why it matters
- About 1.2 crore people depend on it in coastal and southern states, many of them women in coir and processing.
- Neera, virgin coconut oil, tender coconut water and coir beat raw copra on returns.
Exam angle
- Central Sector Scheme: fully Centre-funded, unlike Centrally Sponsored Schemes with state cost sharing.
- Other growing states: Odisha, West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra.