Slim pickings this summer for customers as supply of tender coconuts get scarce in city

With the supply of tender coconuts getting scarcer, vendors in the city fear that the price may soar in the coming days.

The cost of a tender coconut is between Rs 25 and Rs 30. Scarcer supply means that the nuts have very little water content that tastes sour, leaving regular drinkers of tender coconut water terribly displeased.

Vendors speaking to DH expressed fear that prices could touch Rs 50 due to the poor supply, but Coconut Development Board  director Hemachandra refuted such claims. "The quality of the nuts has actually improved following a good monsoon," Hemachandra said.

"But vendors in Bengaluru buy the  Arasampatti variety from Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu, which is of inferior quality," he said, adding that coconuts from Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Ramanagaram and Mysuru are superior in quality.

Farmers in Mandya and surrounding areas are selling their coconut produce to buyers from outside the state like Mumbai, Hyderabad and other parts of north India. Hemachandra also assured that the prices of coconuts would not cross Rs 30 this season.

Though good quality nuts are available during the season, there is some level of scarcity in Bengaluru, he said.

While a high quality coconut has a larger size and contains 500 ml of water with a shiny green shell, tender coconuts currently available in the city are smaller and have about 250 ml. They cost up to Rs 35 per piece.

Size of the nut  

In fact, coconuts available between Hosur Road and Marathahalli are smaller since they are bought from Tamil Nadu. But the coconuts available in areas between Kengeri and Nagarbhavi, the size of the nut is average as they are supplied from small farms growing the nuts en route to Mysuru.

At the wholesale coconut market in Maddur, which sets the standard for the price and quality of the nuts, a big size nut costs Rs 20 to Rs 22, whereas a small one would fetch Rs 12 to Rs 14.

While the nuts begin to decolour in three days, vendors stock them for 10 days and that affects the quality, Hemachandra said.

"To ensure customers get the good quality nuts, federations and farmers' societies are being formed to help citizens get quality products at a good price," he added.