Karnataka Becomes India’s Largest Producer of Coconuts, Overtakes Kerala

Karnataka has now become India's largest producer of coconuts, surpassing Kerala, which had held the title since 2016. According to the Coconut Development Board (CDB), Karnataka produced 595 crore coconuts in 2022-23, while Kerala produced 563 crore. In 2021-22, Kerala had 552 crore coconuts, and Karnataka had 518 crore.

For the first two quarters of 2023-24, Karnataka continued its lead with 726 crore coconuts. For the same period, Tamil Nadu's production of 578 crore pushed Kerala down to third place with 564 crore. The CDB has yet to release the annual data for 2023-24.

Karnataka has become India’s largest producer of coconuts, pushing Kerala down from the top spot it held since 2016. In 2022-23, Karnataka produced 595 crore coconuts, while Kerala produced 563 crore. This trend continued in 2023-24, with Karnataka producing 726 crore coconuts, and Kerala slipping to third place.

The growth in Karnataka’s coconut production is thanks to the "weekend agriculture" trend. Many young farmers, even though they have city jobs, farm on weekends, especially in districts like Tumakuru, Hassan, and Mandya. This has improved farming techniques and boosted production.

While Kerala’s production has decreased due to tourism, Karnataka’s small-scale farmers have helped increase coconut output. Karnataka has also surpassed Kerala in ball copra production, contributing 72.8% of India’s total.