(a) whether the Government have received any representation to declare coconut as oilseed;
(b) if so, details thereof and also the decision taken in this regard;
(c) the production cost of 1000 coconuts in the country as compared to various South Asian
Countries presently, country-wise;
(d) the price of coconut, copra and coconut oil during the last year; and
(e) the reasons for the steep fall in prices of these products and the steps taken to give remunerative
price to coconut growers?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE (SHRI SHRIPAD Y. NAIK)
(a) & (b): Government of India declared coconut as an oilseed of tree origin in October, 1990 to
emphasise importance of coconut as an oilseed for price support operations.
(c): The production cost of 1000 coconuts in India and other South Asian Countries is given below:-
Name of the country Production cost (Rupees per 1000 nuts)
India 2500
Srilanka 1881
Indonesia 1843
Philippines 1489
(d): The average yearly prices of coconut, copra and coconut oil during last year (1999) are given
below:
Product Name of the market Average Yearly Price(e): There has been a declining trend in the prices of oilseeds and vegetable oils in domestic and international markets. Due to import of cheap vegetable oils, the prices of coconut oil has also been depressed as the prices of copra and coconuts are determined by prices of coconut oil. In order to ensure remunerative prices to coconut growers, Government of India has fixed Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs.3250 per quintal for milling copra and Rs.3500 per quintal for ball copra for 2000 season. As on 20th November, 2000, the total quantity of copra procured by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) was 1,47,432 metric tonnes. On 21st November, 2000, the import duty on edible oils has been further increased.
Dry Coconut Kozhikode - Rs.4468 per thousand Copra Kochi - Rs.3506 per quintal Coconut Oill Kochi - Rs.5446 per quintal