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Scientists bicker as Kerala's coconut biz shrivels

D Jose in Trivandrum

Agriculture scientists in the country have put coconut growers in the south Indian states in a dilemma, coming up with contradictory claims about a dangerous pest that has devastated coconut plantations in Kerala and, to a smaller extent, in Tamil Nadu.

The pest known as 'eriophyid mite' could bring down the coconut tree production by an estimated 21.8 per cent besides throwing the oil, copra and the coir industry out of gear.

The study, conducted by the Department of Agriculture, the Central Crops Research Institute and the Kerala Agricultural University has found that the pest has affected 42.3 per cent out of 590,000 palms in Kerala.

The agriculture scientists who have been trying to find a cheap and effective solution to combat the pest, are sharply divided over the preventive measures being taken by state governments.

While an expert committee of agriculture scientists of the Kerala Agriculture University and the Central Plantation Crops Research recommended spraying of pesticide 'monocrotophos' and 'dicofol', soil scientists oppose it saying that the pesticide was non-biodegradable and their toxicity is beyond permissible levels.

Dr K P Prabhakaran Nair, a soil scientist at Thiruvananthapuram, said the US had banned both pesticides. Dr Thomas Varghese, retired head of the agricultural chemistry department of Kerala Agriculture University, said the dicofol, which broke down slowly, was not an ideal pesticide to use in the state, which has a large number of lakes, streams and backwaters.

Another section of scientists has recommended a mixture of neem oil, soap and garlic juice.

But farmers say they have found both pesticides effective. And so, presumably, plan to continue using them.

Dr K C John of the Zoology Research Centre, Catholicate College, says he has found diluted rubber latex very effective to prevent the spread of the disease on the basis of recent research. He claims that the latex covers the nut till the mite dies.

The scientists in Tamil Nadu, which is the other major coconut growing state in the country, are following a multi-pronged strategy to prevent the disease. The Tamil Nadu Agriculture University has asked its plant pathology and microbiology departments to find an effective solution. The state now relies on aerial application and application of chemical pesticides at the roots till a lasting solution is found.

Little was known about the eriophyid mite in India since it was unknown in the country. The mite has been was seen in Mexico in 1965, Cameroon in 1967, Colombia (1971), Cuba (1972), Ivory Coast (1975), Puerto Rico (1977) but the scientific community did not take serious note of the mite since it did not cause a great deal of damage there.

But the disease assumed alarming proportion in Kerala, with 10 per cent of the palms severely affected, and 17 per cent partially hit. And since the affliction spreads through wind, nearby areas are also threatened.

The eriophyid mite does not damage the palm, only the nut.

The mite is a microscopic organism, about 250 microns across, says Dr Thomas Varghese. The coconut infected by the mites shrivels inward and turns the colour of a dry leaf.

Dr Thomas Varghese believes the eriophyid mite may have come in a consignment of coconut seeds brought from Lakshadweep in 1996-97. The consignment was transported through Kochi port. The infestation was also first noticed in Kochi and the surrounding areas.

Dr Varghese says the humidity and temperature help the mite flourish. All these conditions helped the eriophyid mite spread like wildfire throughout the state, he added. One mite lives between seven and 10 days and, in this short period, multiplies furiously.

Coconuts that are orange, brown, red and yellow and which have thick husks are generally more resistant to the problem.

The production loss in Kerala, which accounts for 40 per cent of the total production in India, might deal a big blow to the oil sector, since the state supplies nearly 90 per cent of the milling copra.

Coconut oil is extensively used in cooking and to manufacture of soaps and biscuits in Kerala. Lately, coconut oil is being exported to the Gulf too.

The price of coconut oil in the domestic market has already shot up from Rs 34,500 per tonne in August 1999 to Rs 47,500 by the end of third week of January due to the impact of the eriophyid infection.

The disease is also likely to hit the coir exports since the affliction damages the husk, from which the coir is made. Indian coir is in great demand in US, Europe, the UK, etc. The exports brought a foreign exchange of Rs 4 billion last year.

The eriophyid mite problem comes close on the heels of another disease, root wilt, affecting nearly 25 million coconut palms.

Coming one after the other, the two problems have severely hit farmers and, consequently, Kerala's economy.

Coconut, which sustains nearly two million people, is considered very important for rural prosperity in Kerala. This, coupled with the unprecedented crash in the price of natural rubber, has shaken the rural economy of the state.

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Eriophyid mites
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