Team Herald
In a notification issued on Thursday, Agriculture department has introduced a scheme to provide 50 per cent assistance for purchase of hybrid coconut saplings, in order to increase the area under coconut hybrids, higher production and productivity and to bring prosperity to coconut cultivators.
The decision also aims to overcome the difficulty of climbing tall trees for plucking coconuts. The department aims to cover the State’s 12 talukas.
“Coconut is the major horticultural crop in Goa, occupying 25,750 ha of area. The production and productivity is around 128.15 million nuts and 5000 nuts/ha respectively,” Agriculture director Orland Rodrigues said.
Rodrigues said that local tall varieties like Benaulim, Calangute and Nanora, are cultivated in the State, with an average yield under normal management being around 32 nuts per tree per year.
The hybrid coconut varieties give a higher yield of up to 250 nuts per palm per year, it flowers early in two years as compared to six years of the local variety, its copra content is 200 grams per nut as compared to 140 grams, oil content is 68 per cent as compared to 63 per cent and coconut water is 500 ml as compared to 200 ml.
As per the notification, land owners willing to cultivate hybrid coconut trees are eligible to avail the benefits of the scheme, however, the owner should possess a valid “Krishi Card” issued by the department or land documents in his/her name.
The minimum area for assistance for cultivation of hybrid coconut is 0.1 ha for area expansion and 0.05 ha for replanting by cutting old, diseased and senile coconut trees. It is proposed to provide assistance of 50 per cent on the hybrid coconut seedlings limited to Rs 150 per seedling. The standard cost of a hybrid coconut seedling is Rs 300.
The beneficiary would have to purchase the hybrid seedling from the nurseries belonging to the State government or Central Government or research station, universities or from any private hybrid coconut breeding farm, recognised by the State government or Central Government.
