Goa Coconut Imports Rise Due to Tourism

Panaji, Aug 8 (PTI) Goa imported 2.9 crore coconuts in the last three years, the demand being driven by high tourist inflow and the growth of hotels and restaurants, resulting in local production not being able to meet requirements, state agriculture minister Ravi Naik said in the assembly on Friday.
In a written reply to a question tabled by Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, Naik said 65.3 mature lakh coconuts and 32.21 lakh tender coconuts were brought into the state between November 2022 and March 2023, while the numbers rose sharply to 1.85 crore mature coconuts and 50.98 lakh tender coconuts in 2023-24.

"Between April 2024 and March 2025, Goa imported 91.85 lakh mature coconuts and 15.56 lakh tender coconuts. The latest year's figures reflect imported coconuts only, excluding locally procured quantities. The demand for coconuts in Goa is driven by high tourist inflow and growth of hotels and restaurants, with local production unable to meet requirements," he informed the House.
As per government data, the total area under coconut cultivation in Goa stood at 26,807 hectares in 2024-25, with an average yield of 5,625 nuts per hectare producing about 150.79 million nuts.
"The state government is taking multiple measures to support coconut farmers, including subsidies for replanting and removal of senile or diseased palms, disease control measures such as subsidised traps for red palm weevil and rhinoceros beetle, and mechanisation subsidies for coconut harvesting equipment," the minister said.
Coconut pluckers are also made available through the Goa State Horticulture Corporation Ltd, and training programmes are conducted in collaboration with ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Naik said.