Coconut Development Programme

What is the Coconut Development Programme?

Coconut Development Programme is the flagship crop programme of the Department of Agriculture, U.T. Administration of Lakshadweep, headquartered at Kavaratti. According to the department's page on lakshadweep.gov.in, the programme provides farm inputs and services in four parts: copra driers at a subsidised rate, dwarf varieties of coconut suitable for island conditions, comprehensive insurance for coconut climbers, and the cutting and removal of diseased and senile palms to ensure a healthy palm population.

The programme exists because Lakshadweep is, agriculturally, a coconut economy and very little else. Coconut is grown on roughly 2,700 to 2,800 hectares across the inhabited islands, spread over many thousands of very small holdings, a quarter of a hectare is a typical family plot. Copra and coir from those palms are the territory's main agricultural produce, and coconut productivity per palm in Lakshadweep is among the highest in the country. When a palm population ages or falls sick, there is no second crop for a family to fall back on.

The Department of Agriculture, established in 1956, is one of the oldest departments under the Lakshadweep Administration. Its stated focus is promoting coconut cultivation and organic cultivation of vegetables in households and backyards while conserving soil and water, and providing farmers with technical guidance, quality seeds, fertilisers and modern farming equipment. The department has also engaged a dedicated consultant for coconut and coir development, which is advertised through Expression of Interest notices on lakshadweep.gov.in.

What are the four components?

Copra driers at a subsidised rate. Copra is dried coconut kernel, and its price depends heavily on how well it is dried. Open sun drying on a coral island in the monsoon produces discoloured or mouldy copra that fetches a lower price. A mechanical or improved drier lets a grower dry a batch regardless of the weather and get a better grade. The department supplies driers at a reduced cost to growers under this component. The department has not published the subsidy percentage or the unit cost on its website, so confirm the current rate at your island unit rather than relying on figures quoted for other states.

Dwarf varieties of coconut. Dwarf palms are shorter, bear earlier than tall varieties, and can be harvested with far less climbing. Both matter in Lakshadweep, where the pool of trained coconut climbers is shrinking and where a replanted holding needs to return to income quickly. The department supplies dwarf planting material described as "suitable" for local conditions, that is, tolerant of the sandy coral soil, the saline groundwater and the constant sea wind.

Comprehensive insurance for coconut climbers. Climbing a mature coconut palm is dangerous work, and a fall usually means a long hospital stay on the mainland for an islander. The department provides comprehensive insurance cover for coconut climbers as a component of this programme. Separately, the Coconut Development Board operates a national accident insurance scheme for coconut tree climbers, Neera technicians and coconut harvesters, in which the Board pays a large share of the premium. Ask the island agriculture unit which cover you are being enrolled under, and what your share of the premium is, before paying anything.

Cutting and removal of diseased and senile palms. A senile palm is one too old to yield economically; a diseased palm is a source of infection for every palm around it. On islands measured in hundreds of hectares, one untreated disease focus can travel through a whole village's palms. The department takes up cutting and removal so that growers are not left choosing between the cost of felling a large palm and the risk of leaving it standing.

Alongside these four, the department runs an Integrated Pest and Disease Management programme that controls white fly and rodents in coconut, and hairy caterpillar in Terminalia catappa, the wild almond. Pest problems in your palms are handled under that programme by the same island staff.

Who is eligible for the Coconut Development Programme?

You can be enrolled if:

• You are a resident of an inhabited island of Lakshadweep: Kavaratti, Agatti, Amini, Andrott, Bitra, Chetlat, Kadmat, Kalpeni, Kiltan or Minicoy.
• You own or hold coconut palms on that island, whether as a homestead garden or a small holding. There is no minimum number of palms published.
• For the insurance component, you work as a coconut climber or harvester. Age bands apply to accident cover, so carry age proof.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• You do not live in Lakshadweep, or the palms you are claiming for stand outside the territory.
• You own no palms and are simply buying copra commercially — the drier and planting material components are for growers.
• You have already taken a subsidy for the same drier or the same planting material from another body such as the Coconut Development Board, the Coir Board or Lakshadweep Development Corporation. Double subsidy for the same purpose is not allowed.
• You want a cash grant rather than inputs or a service. This programme works through supplies, subsidised equipment, insurance and departmental labour, not through a monthly transfer.

How to apply for the Coconut Development Programme

1. Visit the Agriculture Demonstration Unit or Krishi Bhavan on your island. All four components are administered through island-level units of the Department of Agriculture, not from Kavaratti alone.
2. Say which component you need, a copra drier, dwarf coconut seedlings, climber insurance, or removal of a diseased or senile palm. Each has its own register, and combining requests in one conversation avoids repeat visits.
3. Carry your documents: Aadhaar card, proof that you live on the island, and a panchayat or revenue record showing the land where the palms stand. Add a bank passbook if the component is reimbursed, and age proof if you are seeking climber insurance.
4. Get the palms or site inspected. For diseased palm removal and for seedling supply, departmental staff inspect the holding before the work is scheduled or the material is issued.
5. Confirm the subsidy share in writing before ordering a drier. Ask the unit what the approved unit cost is, what the department pays and what you pay, and whether you buy the drier and claim afterwards or receive it directly.
6. Collect the material or the sanction and keep the acknowledgement, which is what you quote when following up.

There is no online portal for this programme and no application fee.

How do I follow up on a request?

The Department of Agriculture does not publish an online status tracker for the Coconut Development Programme. Follow up at the island unit where you registered, quoting the date and the component. If the island unit cannot help, contact the Directorate of Agriculture, Kavaratti on 04896-262276, 04896-262097 or 04896-262390, or write to dagrikvt[at]gmail[dot]com.

Common reasons a request stalls

• No ownership or possession record for the land where the palms stand, so the holding cannot be verified.
• Double subsidy. The same drier already funded by the Coconut Board, the Coir Board or LDCL.
• Waiting for the season. Seedling supply follows the planting season and nursery availability rather than the date you applied.
• Removal of a palm postponed because the department schedules felling island-wise, taking diseased palms in a cluster together.
• Incomplete insurance enrolment, usually because the beneficiary share of the premium was not paid.

What else is available to a coconut grower in Lakshadweep?

• Nutri Garden Scheme. The same department's backyard and terrace vegetable and fruit input scheme, started in 2021-22.
• PM-KISAN and the Kisan Credit Card, both central sector schemes implemented in Lakshadweep through the Department of Agriculture.
• Mission on Integrated Development of Horticulture, also routed through the department.
• 25% Capital Investment Subsidy Scheme of the Department of Industries, if you want to set up a coconut or coir processing unit rather than only grow palms. Note that a unit already subsidised by the Coconut Board or the Coir Board cannot claim that subsidy for the same purpose.

Where to get help

• Directorate of Agriculture, Lakshadweep, Kavaratti – 682555
• Phone: 04896-262276, 04896-262097, 04896-262390
• Email: dagrikvt[at]gmail[dot]com
• Department page: lakshadweep.gov.in/departments/agriculture/

A note on figures: beyond the four components listed above, the Department of Agriculture has not published a scheme guideline, unit costs, subsidy percentages or an application form for the Coconut Development Programme. Any specific rupee amount you see quoted for a copra drier or climber insurance in Lakshadweep should be confirmed on the numbers above before you commit money to it.