Lakshadweep Islands' coconut industry tops in productivity and output of copra and coconut oil. However, growth of the industry has been stunted by the lack of allied manufacturing units and effective market delivery system. Coconut is the lifeline of Lakshadweep, the Indian archipelago comprising of 11 inhabited and 25 uninhabited islands, with highest copra and coconut oil production in the world, according to a top official of the Coconut Development Board. With about 68 per cent of the cultivable land in the islands under coconut cultivation, the sector provides livelihood and food security to over 61,000 people, besides protecting the coastal eco-system, the board's Chief Coconut Development Officer M Thomas Mathew said in an article in the Indian Coconut Journal. But with a tiny landmass and the mainland more than 400 km away, Lakshadweep has several inherent disadvantages, he said. Individual farmers found commercial activity not economically viable because of highly fragmented cultivation and small holding size, Mathew said. However, he said that despite the locational disadvantages and other drawbacks, there were opportunities which could be exploited to help farmers increase their income by promoting product diversification and creating a Lakshadweep brand, which would be synonymous with organic produce. The absence of assembly markets was a major threat for the growth of the coconut industry in the island and lack of domestic market for value-added products in the islands impeded product diversification, he said. Among the major coconut growing islands in Lakshadweep, Androth ranks first in area and production of coconut with 22 per cent share both in area and production followed by Amini, Agatti, Kavaratti and Kadamath accounting for 17, 16,15 and 10 per cent shares in both area and production. The entire ethnic population directly depends on coconut for food, shelter, health drink and sustainable income. Laccadive ordinary is the variety predominantly grown in all the islands and the other varieties that are found in the island are laccadive micro, green dwarf and orange dwarf, Mathew said. The area under coconut in the island remains constant at 2,700 hectares since 2000-01 as against 2,800 hectares in 1997-98. The production also remains at 53 million nuts since 2001-02 and that of productivity at 19,630 nuts per hectare since 2002-03, he said, adding the trend indicates that the scope for bringing additional area under coconut was limited. Lakshadweep had attained the highest productivity in the country with 19,630 nuts per hectare, equivalent to 1.963 tonnes of copra or 1.28 tonnes of coconut oil. Coconut is cultivated under traditional organic agriculture practices without application of fertilisers. Even though a hectare accommodates more than 300 to 350 palms, only 200 to 250 palms thrive well and give yield. It has been observed that rodent attack in coconut palms are rampant and about 30 per cent yield loss occurred due to the damage of immature nuts, he said. The annual loss of coconut, which otherwise would have been converted in to copra if necessary infrastructure had been made available, was estimated as Rs 77.7 crore, Mathew said. Non-availability of adequate transport, both from islands to islands and to mainland, particularly during the rainy season and lack of adequate number of buyers form a hindrance to the development of a dynamic coconut market.