India’s Coconut Story Is Bigger Than Just Coconuts

NEW DELHI – India is not just a major coconut-growing country. It is the world’s biggest producer of the tropical staple, putting the humble coconut at the center of a growing agricultural and export story.

India accounts for 31.24 per cent of global coconut production and 17.90 per cent of the world’s coconut cultivation area, ranking third globally by area.

The country added about 2,175 hectares to its coconut-growing area across several states during 2025-26, according to an official factsheet.

India produced more than 20.3 billion coconuts in 2024-25 from 2.19 million hectares, with average productivity reaching 9,249 nuts per hectare.

And while coconut is often closely associated with Kerala, the numbers tell a more interesting story.

Kerala has India’s largest coconut cultivation area, covering nearly 754,000 hectares and producing about 5.15 billion nuts. Tamil Nadu, however, takes the lead in overall coconut production, while Andhra Pradesh records the country’s highest productivity, followed by West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

The coconut business is also moving well beyond the traditional whole nut.

India’s export basket increasingly includes value-added products such as virgin coconut oil, coconut milk and activated carbon, giving the versatile crop new uses and potentially new markets.

So, from coconut oil and milk to industrial products, India’s coconut economy is proving that there is a lot more to the humble coconut than meets the eye. (IANS)