India’s coconut product export doubles in four years
Vadakara: In spite of a drop in prices, India’s coconut product export has witnessed rapid growth this year. As per reports, the country has exported coconut products worth Rs 3554.23 crore in the financial year 2022-23, which translates to a hike of Rs 318.23 crore when compared to the previous year. The export value has also doubled in the past four years. In FY 2019-20, the country had exported products worth Rs 1762 crores.
Coconut shell and activated carbon top charts
In terms of quantity and value, activated carbon produced out of coconut shells topped the chart with an export of a total of 1.5 tonnes worth Rs 2369.76 crore. This accounts for about 66.65 percent of the overall export value. Activated carbon is an integral part in the manufacturing of cosmetic products and for water purification and air pollution control.
As per reports, a majority of the institutions that manufacture activated carbon are outside Kerala. However, coconut shells are collected in large quantities from the state for carbon production. Reportedly, shell carbon worth Rs 60.82 crore was exported last year.
Further, coconut oil stands second in terms of exports, along with fresh and frozen grated coconut adding to the list. Grated coconut worth Rs 168 crore was exported this financial year.
Export value of coconut products
| Category | Value Rs (crores) |
| Activated carbon | 2369.76 |
| Coconut Oil | 453.40 |
| Dry Coconut | 29.93 |
| Desiccated Coconut | 61.88 |
| Fresh, frozen grated coconut | 168.72 |
| Copra | 213.86 |
| Shell charcoal | 60.82 |
| Other products | 195.88 |
Drop in imports
The import of coconut products has been the lowest in five years in FY 2022-23. It is learnt that products worth Rs 457 crore were imported to the country, which is much lower than that of previous year. Of this, a majority accounted for copra expeller cakes and desiccated coconuts. In addition, there has been a steep drop in imports of coconut oil and copra too.
Value addition
Although there is a good market for value-added products in the country and abroad, the state and country are lagging behind in terms of production. According to the Coconut Development Board (CDB), of the total coconuts produced in the country, only 69 per cent are used for commercial purposes. Of this, 80 per cent are converted into copra and the remaining 20 per cent are used for manufacturing value added products.