CPCRI’s improved coconut varieties to replace old, non-productive trees

With the Union Budget for 2026-27 proposing a Coconut Promotion Scheme, the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, Kerala, has already launched an inaugural for replacing aged and non-productive coconut trees with the improved varieties developed by the institute.

“Some of the improved varieties output successful 2 to 4 years,” its Director K. Balachandra Hebbar told The Hindu.

Under the ‘coconut rejuvenation’ initiative, Mr. Hebbar said, the institute has begun issuing its licence to nurseries to make seedlings of improved varieties nether the supervision of CPCRI. The licenced nursery gets CPCRI’s exertion to make improved varieties for selling to farmers. “As of now, the licence has been issued to 12 nurseries,” the Director said, adding that much nurseries are coming guardant to acquisition CPCRI’s exertion to make the seedlings.

The exertion is transferred and the licence is issued to nurseries aft entering into a memorandum of knowing (MoU). “The CPCRI monitors the prime of the seedlings earlier the licenced nursery starts selling them to farmers,” helium said.

Mr. Hebbar said that high-yielding varieties tin beryllium planted successful irrigated areas. Climate resilient varieties tin beryllium grown successful precocious somesthesia and adust belts.

The improvised varieties developed by the institute included 11 tall, six dwarf, and 7 hybrid.

He said immoderate coconut trees, which are 60 oregon 70 years old, either bash not output oregon output less. Farmers tin regenerate them with the improved CPCRI varieties.

Cocoa production

Referring to cocoa production, Mr. Hebbar said that India requires astir 1 lakh tonnes of cocoa beans a year, portion the home accumulation stands astatine lone 30,000 tonnes a year. The authorities has aimed astatine achieving self-sufficiency successful cocoa accumulation by 2030, for which the country nether cocoa volition person to beryllium expanded.

Stating that the CPCRI has developed astir 8 improved varieties of cocoa, helium said that the VTLCH 2 assortment is tolerant to achromatic pod rot, which affects galore cocoa plants, acting arsenic a interest origin for farmers. “This hybrid variety, which is an aboriginal bearer and is high-yielding, is suitable for high-density planting successful mean canopy nether arecanut and coconut shades,” helium said.

Mr. Hebbar said that cocoa cultivation is expanding successful Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and the North East. It tin beryllium grown arsenic an inter-crop some successful arecanut and coconut plantations.

The CPCRI is yet to contented the licence to nurseries, helium said.