Parliament Question: Problems faced by Coconut Growers in Karnataka

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5258 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24TH MARCH 2026 PROBLEMS FACED BY COCONUT GROWRS IN KARNATAKA 5258. DR C N MANJUNATH: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण मं(cid:361)ी be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware of the problems faced by coconut growers in the State of Karnataka; (b) if so, the details of measures taken by the Government to address the incidence of pests such as Black Headed Caterpillar (BHC), Rugose Whitefly, Red Palm Weevil and diseases such as Stem Bleeding and Leaf Blight in coconut crops, along with steps taken to increase coconut productivity; (c) whether the coconut crop is considered under the Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS); (d) whether the Government proposes to include the coconut crop under the Cluster Development Programme (CDP) under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), if so, the details thereof; and (e) whether the Government proposes to introduce Minimum Support Price (MSP) under the Price Deficiency Payment Scheme to protect the interests of mango farmers in Karnataka during the ensuring cropping season and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण रा(cid:475) मं(cid:361)ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR) (a) & (b): The Government is taking various measures to address the problems of coconut growers in the country including the state of Karnataka, the most important being the incidence of pests and diseases such as Black Headed Caterpillar (BHC), Rugose Whitefly, Red Palm Weevil, Stem Bleeding, and Leaf Blight—and to improve coconut productivity. Some of the measures taken by the government are as under: The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW) constituted a Working Group (2024) and a Central Expert Team (2025) to assess major coconut pests and diseases in Karnataka. It found that about 12.2–14.7% of the coconut area is infested with pests and diseases and recommended suitable management measures.  An amount of Rs 174.55 crore has been utilized in Karnataka during the last five years for implementing field-oriented schemes with major focus on productivity improvement and pest and disease management.  The Coconut Development Board (CDB), under Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers welfare conducted 144 programmes during the last five years and 16 programmes in 2025–26 covering pest and disease management aspects in Karnataka.  The CDB’s Demonstration-cum-Seed production Farm (DSP) farm at Mandya produced and distributed 11.27 lakh biological control ectoparasitoid, Goniozus nephantidis for controlling coconut black-headed caterpillar during the last five years.  Under the Scheme Technology Mission on Coconut, CDB supported 5 projects in Karnataka with an assistance of Rs 1.06 crore for developing technologies for pest and disease management during last 5 years.  During the current year Rs 10.89 crore was released for ‘Productivity Improvement through Coconut Based Cropping System’ (3757 ha) and Rs 4.52 crore for Replanting & Rejuvenation (1000 ha) with special emphasis on pest and disease management in Karnataka. (c): Government has introduced yield based Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and weather index based Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) from Kharif 2016 to provide financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage arising out of natural calamities, adverse weather incidence and to stabilize the income of farmers etc. This scheme is voluntary for States as well as farmers. All willing farmers are eligible to enroll under the scheme. The State of Karnataka has been implementing the scheme since its inception in 2016.(d): Coconut , being a horticulture crop, is included under the Cluster Development Program (CDP) under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH). (e): To provide remunerative price to the farmers, Government is implementing a scheme called the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), a component under PM- AASHA, for perishable agricultural and horticultural commodities not covered under MSP, in order to prevent distress sale during periods of excess production and price fall. The scheme is operational when market prices decline by at least 10% compared to the previous normal year. The scheme becomes operational at the request of States/UTs, which share the losses on a 50:50 basis (75:25 in case of North-Eastern States). The scheme also includes provision for Price Differential Payment and support for transportation and storage of TOP crops (Tomato, Onion and Potato) from producing to consuming regions. *****