Experts say the havoc wrought by the eriophyid mite (eriphyesguerreronis) in Kerala is the worst-ever since the disease was first noticed in Mexico in 1965 and subsequently in Cameroon (in 1967), Colombia (1971), Cuba (1972), Ivory Coast (1975), Puerto Rico (1977), Dominica (1980), Brazil (1989) and Costa Rica (1990).

``The mite infestation of coconut trees recorded in foreign countries so far has not been as acute as that being witnessed in Kerala now,'' according to a study on the disease submitted before the general council of the Kerala Agricultural University which met here on Thursday.

There are rumours that a mutant variety of the mite has been developed specifically for Kerala's climate and released in Ernakulam with the ulterior motive of destroying the state's prominent position in coconutproduction and thereby wreck its economy. Some scientists have even gone on record saying that the mite was ``artificially created''.

The study claims that 90 per cent of coconut palms in 1.2 million hectares of land in the state, which derived its name from ``kera'' (coconut), was affected by the disease.

However, State Agriculture Minister Krishnan Kaniyamparambil differs with the findings of the Kerala Agricultural University and says there is no possibility of 90 per cent of the coconut palms being affected by the disease.

Kerala's annual production is nearly 6,000 million nuts with a productivity of about 5,775 nuts per hectare. The state accounts for more than 40 per cent of the total national production of coconut.

More than 1.5 million coconut growers have been affected by the disease, the study says.

The mite menace, which was unknown to the state till it was first noticed at Kanjiramattam in Ernakulam district by a retired professor of the Kerala Agricultural University two years ago,spread to the southern districts even as efforts were on to find a solution for the control of the devastating coconut ``root wilt'' disease which had, over the years, affected about one third of the area under the coconut crop.

The Kerala Agricultural University study points out that the state is likely to suffer a loss of Rs 100 crore to Rs 150 crore due to the disease.The `'mandari''disease, which was initially noticed at Kanjiramattam and subsequently at Amballur, Mulamthiruthy, Trippunithura, Vytilla, Kumbalam and Palluruthy (all in Ernakulam district) in 1997, soon spread its tentacles to Thrissur, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Malappuram, Palakkad, Idukki, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts.

The dreaded mite is reportedly also found in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.

The Kerala Government, which has requested the Union Government to release an emergency grant of Rs 100 crore by treating the ``mandari'' affliction as a national calamity, has sanctioned from its funds Rs 13.52 crore for thefirst stage operation of a three-phased programme that involves spraying of pesticides.