NE gets Rs 350 lakh for coconut culture

GUWAHATI, March 12: The Coconut Development Board has allotted Rs 350 lakh for implementation of various coconut development programmes in the Northeast for the year 2000-2001, its chairman, P Rethinam, said here today, reports PTI. "Northeast is a goldmine for coconuts but its full potential has remained unutilised and underutilised," Rethinam said at the inaugural function of a workshop organised for extension workers here. He said that under area expansion programme, the physical target is 1250 HA while the financial target is Rs 76.69 lakh. "During this financial year, the Board has given thrust to programmes related to extension, processing and marketing for implementation in the Northeast", he said. He pointed out that incentive subsidy is provided for new planting of crop and during the Ninth Plan, the subsidy has been increased from Rs 6000 per hectare to Rs 8000 per hectare, and in Assam alone 17,771 farmers have been benefitted from this programme. The Board has also established Demonstration-cum-Seed Plantation Farms in Abhayapuri in Assam and Belbari in Tripura for distribution of qualify planting material. The area under coconut plantation in the Northeast is 40,000 hectare and production is estimated to the around 178 million nuts.