Consumers feeling the heat of rising tender coconut prices in Karnataka
Bengaluru: The cost of tender coconuts has skyrocketed in Karnataka, with retail prices now ranging between Rs 50 and Rs 60 per coconut. In parts of North India, prices have even touched Rs 80 to Rs 100. This price hike is reportedly attributed to a combination of extreme temperatures in Northern India and lower yields in Karnataka, which has been facing its own heatwave.
Maddur, the largest market for tender coconuts in India, has seen average wholesale prices fluctuating between Rs 38 and Rs 50 per coconut over the past three months. Retail prices are higher and depend upon distance from key markets such as Davangere, Tumakuru, Mandya, Hassan, and others as reported by Deccan Herald on Saturday.
During June and July of this year, tender coconuts were available for around Rs 35 in Karnataka, the country's leading coconut producer. However, prices have spiked due to a variety of factors. According to the state government's online agriculture marketing information website, Krishi Marata Vahini, wholesale prices have risen by at least Rs 10,000 per 1,000 coconuts compared to last year.
V. Rajannab, Deputy Director of the Tumakuru APMC Yard, attributed the supply disruption to the "heatwave conditions of the summer of 2024," explaining that farmers could harvest only 30% to 40% of their expected yield. He told the news outlet that the increased demand from North Indian states has further driven up prices in the local market. Nearly 60% of Karnataka's tender coconuts are shipped to North India, with states like Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat now seeking supplies, he added.
Officials from the horticulture department have suggested that the high price of ball copra could also have impacted the supply of tender coconut. “The price of ball copra has more than doubled in the last three months, going from Rs 8,000 to Rs 18,000 a tonne. There is a general feeling that the price could go further high, which is why most of the farmers are not harvesting tender coconuts,” Horticulture Deputy Director Kadiregowda was quoted as saying by DH.
However, there is some hope for price relief in the near future. With copious rains this monsoon, the yield is anticipated to improve, which could further help stabilise the market and bring prices down in the coming weeks.
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Karnataka CM’s office gets facelift worth Rs 2.4 crore; BJP derides wasteful expenditure
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Chief Minister’s office at the Vidhana Soudha has undergone a renovation after nearly two decades, with the government spending Rs 2.4 crore on providing luxurious wooden interiors, advanced lighting and high-end furniture at the office.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, has criticized the ‘urgent facelift’ undertaken on the CM’s office, saying the Congress government in the state has failed at prioritizing the use of funds, reports Times of India.
A legislator of the Opposition party in the Karnataka Assembly said that the government was indulging in wasteful expenditure although the state is struggling for funds to retain key public welfare schemes. The MLA added that this would send a wrong message regarding the financial situation of Karnataka.
The last round of renovation of the CM’s office was during SM Krishna’s tenure in 1999-2004.
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