coconut tree profit per acre | coconut farming project report

80 to 200 or 500 coconut trees per acre can be planted. The plantation depends on the spacing however 180 to 200 trees are considered for coconut farming in India. 

Major coconut producing states in India 

The production occurs in more than 90 countries. India is a big coconut producer and produces 12 million tonnes per year. Top coconut producing states in India are Tamil Nadu (33.84%), Odisha, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Gujarat, West Bengal, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar.

Price of 1 sapling

Rs 80 to 100, Rs 120 if you are purchasing a single plant then you may get it between Rs 100 to Rs 120 and if you are purchasing plants in bulk then you may get it between Rs 80 to 90 according to your region and market.

Coconut yield per tree

A good and healthy coconut tree can produce around 80 coconuts per year but more often 35 coconuts are produced by 1 coconut tree per year.

Varieties 

Mainly tall and dwarf are two types of coconut varieties cultivated in coconut farming. Hybrid coconut variety is also cultivated; this variety depends on the count of labour and water.

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Tall variety

• Some of the tall varieties are chandrakalpa, west coast tall , kera sagra, tiptur tall, aliyar nagar 1, VPM3, Philippines ordinary.
• Tall varieties live up to 80 to 90 years.
• Best soil lateritic soil, red loam soil, littoral sands.
• They are disease resistant varieties and easily grown at the height of 3000 ft above sea level.
• Tall tree bears medium to big size coconut.
• The fruit color varies from green, yellow, orange, brown.
• The tree height in meters is around 15 to 18 meter in India whereas Cocos nucifera is a large tree that grows up to 30 m (100ft) tall with 4-6 m long leaves and 60 – 90 cm long pinnae.

Dwarf variety

• Some of the dwarf coconut tree varieties are chowghat green dwarf, chowghat orange dwarf, and dwarf yellow variety,
• Dwarf tree height is around 5 to 7 meter
• Dwarf palm tree bears coconut fruits earlier than tall coconut palm trees.
• The average life of dwarf coconut tree is between 40 to 50 years.
• The weight of the fruit is around 85 g
• Dwarf fruit contains nearly 85 % of oil.

Hybrid variety 

• Some of the hybrid coconut tree varieties are kerasanakara, chandralaksha, keraganga, kerasree, chandrasankara, anandaganga, VHC 1, VHC 2, VHC 3.
• Hybrid variety is produced by crossing two high quality morphological forms of coconut
• Hybrid palm trees are known for early flowering and early fruit set.
• This variety is capable of higher copra production.

Coconut tree growing information

Soil required 

Soil ph for coconut tree should be 5.2 to 8.6 whereas the type of soil for coconut tree is laterite soil, alluvial and red sandy loam. Water holding capacity soil is preferred in coconut cultivation.

Climate required

The temperature required for coconut farming is 27° C whereas humidity should be around 80 % to 85 % while coconut farming humidity should not go below 60 %

Land preparation

Ploughing is usually done before planting any plant in this case you can do slight ploughing then remove unwanted tiny stones from the planting area. Then cleaning needs to be done of the whole farm. Ridge planting is done when the groundwater level is high. Pre monsoon is the best time for planting coconut plants and you can plant within May-June so that plants can thrive quickly. However, you can plant coconut plants in April and September as well but you should arrange better irrigation options.

Dig the pits of 3 x 3 x 3 ft then fill these pits with FYM, sand and red earth soil, increase the height of the soil up to 55 - 60 cm within the pit then plant the coconut seedlings in the centre and press the soil correctly with both hands or soil tool.

Coconut tree planting distance

Planting distance should be calculated to avoid unequal water distribution and overlapping of the trees with each other overlapping can reduce the growth of the plants and is also responsible for less fruit, late fruit bearing

• Spacing is divided in three types according to the coconut plant variety. Have a look -
• Coconut tree spacing (tall variety) - 7.5 x 7.5 m
• Hybrid tree spacing - 8.5 m x 8.5 m
• Dwarf tree spacing - dwarf coconut spacing should be 6.5 m x 6.5 m

Coconut tree plantation per acre

Triangular, square, single hedge and double hedge planting format is used. One should plant between 80 to 200 coconut plants per acre according to spacing.

Propagation methods of coconut

Coconut plants are grown by seed nuts and for that, you must select a good quality mother coconut plant some of the features of the mother plant are given below have a look.

• Select the disease-free tree.
• The tree should produce fruits regularly.
• The age of the tree should be between 25 years to 40 years.
• You should choose a high yielding variety that can produce nearly 80 to 100 nuts yearly.
• Copra weight should be around 150 g.
• Nuts from the tree should be over 600 g.

Pests and disease management 

Remove the diseased and dead parts of the plant then destroy them. Provide sufficient irrigation, use some medicinal plants while mix cropping so that coconut yield can get rid of unwanted disease and pests. While mix cropping you can plant neem tree twigs and while fertilizing use neem tree leaves as fertilizer you can also spread some sacks of neem leaves in your coconut farm it will provide shield protection to your plant from various pests and insects. The use of turmeric is also a good option for intercropping.

Pests and disease

Coconut eriophyid mite, red palm weevil, leaf-eating caterpillar, coconut skipper, coreid bug, bagworm, white grub, termite, lacewing bug, scale insect, mealybug, rat, nut borer, nematodes, palm civet, rhinoceros beetle.

Disease - Tanjore wilt, leaf rot, grey leaf spot, leaf rot, stem bleeding, crown chocking, leaf blight

Harvesting and yields

Tall and dwarf trees can be harvested 8 times annually. 11 month old nuts are used for coir making due to good fiber quality. For making copra 12 month old nuts are harvested in an interval of 30 to 45 days. An average coconut yield per tree in Tamil Nadu is 35 to 45 nuts. 

Three types of harvesting methods are:

1. Power tiller operated ladder.
2. Climbing.
3. Climbing cycle.

Loans and subsidies for coconut farming 

Coconut Development Board is responsible for new schemes, subsidies and loans for coconut farming.

Basic information

The coconut tree is the only living species of the genus cocos. It is the member of palm tree family (Arecaceae) they grows tall and easily touches the height of 100 ft (30 mt). In fertile soil one healthy and tall tree can produce upto 75 fruits per year but more often the coconut yield is less than 30. Coconut tree takes 6 to 10 years to produce the first fruit and it takes 15 – 20 years to reach the peak.

Coconut health benefits

Coconut is used for its water, milk, meat and oil. Some of the health benefits are given below: 

1. Eating coconut may improve good cholesterol levels.
2. Regular consumption help to decrease belly fat.
3. Works as an antioxidant due to phenolic compounds present in coconut meat.
4. It is easy to add to your diet. 
5. Its oil is high in MCTs.
6. Coconut is good for heart health.
7. Due to MCTs it may reduce hunger. 
8. MCTs present in coconut oil may reduce seizures. 
9. Its oil may raise HDL (good) cholesterol. 
10. The oil is helpful to protect your skin, hair and teeth. 
11. It may boost brain function in Alzheimer's disease. 
12. High in fiber which helps in keeping digestive system healthy. 
13. Helpful in stabilizing blood sugar.
14. Coconuts are good for immune system.
15. Due to MCTs it may benefit your brain.  

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