Coconut oil prices was ranged from Rs 28-29 per kg over the week. The agitiation against palm oil has assumed gigantic proportions with several panchayats being declared palm oil-free. The state government in its efforts to help the coconut growers has launched a programme of supplying tender coconuts at petrol stations. It will also distribute 2 kg of coconut oil through ration shops. But the reality is that a good chunk of the people are out of the public distribution system (PDS) and this scheme is going to have limited impact.

Nafed has announced milling of the copra it has procured so that the oil will reach the market by the beginning of next week. It has presently a stock of over 75,000 tonnes procured from Kerala alone. It has identified 15 mills for the purpose and has put forward its conditions: First, an assurance that from one quintal of copra there should be 64 per cent oil and 33 per cent de-oiled cake. Two, the millers should deposit an amount worth the value of copra procured for five days. In simple terms, it is that if 5 tonnes of copra is procured daily, the mill should stand guarantee for an amount worth 25 tonnes of copra.

Growers and merchants are quite unenthusiastic about the whole thing. They argue that the whole process of milling would take at least four months. During this period, Nafed would continue its procurement and this would mean adding to its stock. They feel that besides deciding to mill the copra procured, there is no concrete proposal or scheme to sell this oil.

The current crisis is not the non-availability of oil but non-takers for coconut oil which is costlier than cheap imported palmoil.

Efforts have to be made to address this issue. They are worried over the shift of the soap manufacturers to cheap palmoil against the use of coconut oil earlier.

The Coconut Development Board is continuing with its seminars and meetings to popularise tender coconut as an alternative to bottled soft drinks. Growers and oil merchants are generally skeptic about the whole thing. They say that plucking of tender coconuts in the state is not going to be a profitable venture as the palm here are tall and plucking will be a costly venture.

Further, tender coconuts will have to be imported from neighbouring states where there are hybrid short varieties of the palm, thus defeating the whole concept of helping the coconut growers in the State.