Panaji (Goa) After being on of the leading grower of Coconuts, Goa is witnessing unprecedented surge in the prices of this commodity due to the combined factors including lack of manpower to plug the fruits and disinterest amongst the farmers towards this crop.

The figure available from State Agriculture department indicates that the tiny state has 25,700 hactare of its area as coconut groves, but the prices of the nuts are rising, making it unaffordable for the common peole.

A Coconut is sold at a price of Rs 40-50 in the local markets forcing the State government to announce a scheme providing them in subsidized prices.

State’s one of the leading farmer Premanand Mhambrey said that there are multiple factors that has contributed to the price rise, including attack of pests like the Eriophyid mites which has affected the plantations.

“The attack by mites has been a phenomenon that has been affecting the crop for last 10-12 years now.  But this is not the only factor,” says Mhambrey, who is heading club of progressive farmers on Chorao Island ‘Chodan-Madel Farmers’ Club.’

He said that the farmers who are facing acute shortage of the pluckers resort to contracting their crop to few of the traders who take away the tender coconuts. “These traders come with the pluckers and provide good rate for the tender nuts,” he added.

The burgeoning tourism industry has increased the demand of tender coconuts in the markets, specially the coastal belt.

Mhambrey said if farmers don’t sell the tender coconuts they usually get a raw deal for their product as he gets hardly Rs 5-10 per nut depending on its size.

State Agriculture Director Nelson Figueiredo said that the coconut prices had stabilized at lower rate all these years, that is why the current rise has been perceived as unprecedented one.

“We had meeting of the farmers in Salcette taluka in South Goa and they were of the opinion that per nut they should fetch a price of at least Rs 20-25, which will make farming a profitable profession,” he said.

Figueiredo said that the agriculture department has pulling all the stops to encourage coconut growers, but many of them even refuse to sprinkle the free fertilizer provided by the government.

The Director said that the farmers have been complaining that the production of the coconuts have gone down tremendously with only 10 per cent of the crop being harvested now.

State government has already announced scheme providing subsidized coconuts to the local residents. Figueiredo said that the scheme would be implemented under price control measures through State Civil Supplies department.