Description

In a family of 5 members on an average a coconut per day is consumed in Kerala. They use coconut for preparing vegetables chutney and oil. Coconut is an integral part of their food habit. A large number of coconut products such as coconut water, copra, oil, raw kernel, cake, toddy, shell and wood based products, leaves and coir pith are manufactured in the Kerala which has domestic and export market. Although coconuts are cultivated on almost 30% of the state’s cropped area, there are very few large coconut plantations in Kerala. More than 95% of coconut trees are grown in the front and back yards of homesteads. The average land holding under coconut cultivation is 20-25 cents and average coconut trees per household are about 15. Mono cropping models practiced do not support the livelihood security of the dependent families so people are adopting inter-cropping and mixed cropping.