Kochi, Thursday 02 September 2010: The Coconut Development Board (CDB) is observing today as the World Coconut Day with focus on making the domestic coconut industry globally competitive through technology development and dissemination.

To mark the occasion, Union Minister for Agriculture & Cooperation, Food, Public distribution & Consumer affairs, K V Thomas, will lay the foundation stone of the farmers block in the board Headquarters here.

The Board will also release a trilogy to create awareness on the potential of coconut among farmers, processors, traders, exporters and the consumers. The book ‘Nalikerathinte Nattil’, (In the Land of Coconut) depicts the growth and development of coconut farming in India and places it in the global context.

The book is being brought out by DC Books. The book, ‘Cracking Coconut’, a coffee-table book, is an effort to discover the utility and beauty of the versatile coconut, backed by authentic photographs and graphics, a board press release said.

‘In a Nutshell’, an edited volume is a compilation of selected articles on various aspects of coconut. It is he first time that a trilogy on coconut is being brought out by the Board. The books are authored and edited by Dr C V Ananda Bose, Board Chairman.

Subsequent to the notification of Coconut Development Board as Export Promotion Council by the Ministry of Commerce in April, 2009, the Board has taken action to register exporters of coconut products. So far 255 exporters from various sectors have registered with the Board and obtained Registration-cum- Membership Certificate.
The exporters are mainly from the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Goa, Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, and North Eastern Region.

As a result of this concentrated efforts, India could earn a foreign exchange of Rs 442 crore in 2009-10 from exports of coconut products, recording an annual growth of 34 per cent. The Board is also releasing an English - Hindi coconut glossary Shabdabhrathy, on World Coconut day.

Shabdabhrathy, Horticulture Glossary, introduces the Hindi translation of the scientific and technical words related to all horticulture crops.
On the occasion of the World Coconut Day, state Agriculture minister, Mullakkra Ratnakaran, will launch the Cocotech Prom 2010, a national campaign on application of technology for export promotion.

(PTI)