This time, the tender coconut suppliers from Mangalore, Udupi, Karwar and Kasargod (in Kerala) will flood Bangalore with tender coconuts grown in coastal environment.
This summer beer may be costlier by 7.5%, thanks to state budget, but Bangaloreans can at least be assured of a steady supply of a less heady, but more healthier drink—tender coconuts, that too of coastal varieties.
This time, the tender coconut suppliers from Mangalore, Udupi, Karwar and Kasargod (in Kerala) will flood Bangalore with tender coconuts grown in coastal environment.
However, they do not come cheap as the ones from Tumkur, Tiptur and Mandya, the conventional suppliers of tender coconuts to the city. They may cost about Rs20, against Rs13-15 for those grown in areas closer to Bangalore.
The city’s tender coconut market turns bullish every summer. With more than 10 lakh nuts sold every day in Bangalore Urban district, it was the second largest in south India after twin cities of Hyderabad and Secundrabad, which has a demand of more than 12 lakh nuts per day.
Suppliers in the five districts that send coconuts to Bangalore have observed that the demand this summer is three times more than that during the past three years. A few suppliers have even contacted growers in Kerala.
With the supply points (Kasargod and Kannur) being more than 500 km away, the pinkish-yellow tender coconuts from Kendali might flood the city markets at a premium price tag of Rs25 a nut, while the regular green variety from Mangalore, Udupi and Karwar will command a price of Rs20 in Bangalore.
Madhava Naik of Kasargod, a supplier of Kendali variety, says Bangalore gets its ‘yelneer’ from neighbouring districts, but these plantations run short of stock just before the summer due to seasonal changes.
But the plantations in North Malabar and Konkan are flush with crop, which sometimes floods the market, making the prices fall. The improvement of Mangalore-Bangalore road is helping tender coconut trucks reach Bangalore faster, he added.
The trees in conventional plantations areas yielding tender coconuts last for 12-15 years. They get their first yield only after three-four years of planting. Every year, nearly 10%-12% trees go out of production cycle and the replenishment is to the extent of 8%-10%, which results in short supply of tender coconuts during summer, say experts.
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