Scientists contemplate ways to increase coconut production

GUWAHATI: On World Coconut Day, scientists have cited nutritional deficiency, lack of irrigation and incidence of diseases as the reason for decline in coconut production in Assam. At 48.25 nuts per tree, the state is lagging behind in coconut production as compared to the national average of 64.8 nuts per tree per year, despite having immense potential for growth in coconut sector.
World Coconut Day 2019 was observed at the Horticultural Research Station located at Kahikuchi here with a day long programme organized jointly by the Horticultural Research Station under Assam Agricultural University (AAU) and the regional office of the Coconut Development Board.
Addressing the inaugural meeting of the event, chairman of Assam Tourism Development Corporation, Jayanta Malla Barua, said that coconut is a potential commodity to strengthen the socio-economic status of rural Assam and urged upon all stakeholders to rejuvenate the coconut sector in the state.
Acting vice-chancellor of AAU, Ashok Kumar Bhattacharyya, said that a scientific and strategic roadmap for development of the coconut sector is the need of the hour. Lunghar Obed, director of the Coconut Development Board, spoke at length on the coconut based schemes and programmes of the government and urged upon the farmers to take advantage of the same.
Improper selection of coconut varieties and absence of assured irrigation are the major impediments affecting production of coconut in the state, said Pranab Mahanta, director of Horticulture & Food Processing of Government of Assam.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Sarat Saikia, chief scientist of Horticultural Research Station, emphasized on the socio-economic role of coconut in augmenting farm income. He also underlined the role of coconut in doubling farmers' income.
To commemorate the day, a ceremonial plantation of coconut seedlings was undertaken in the campus of Horticultural Research Station. The programme also included training and field demonstration of coconut-based technologies as well as farmer-scientist interaction.
It World Coconut Day is observed on September 2 every year to commemorate the establishment of the International Coconut Community, an inter-governmental organization of eighteen major coconut producing nations of the world, formed under the aegis of the United Nations in 1969