Posted On: 27 DEC 2023 3:40PM by PIB Delhi

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for copra for 2024 season. In order to provide remunerative prices to the cultivators, government had announced in the Union Budget of 2018-19, that MSPs of all the mandated crops will be fixed at a level of at least 1.5 times of all India weighted cost of production. The MSP for Fair Average Quality of milling copra has been fixed at Rs.11,160/- per quintal and for ball copra at Rs.12,000/- per quintal for 2024 season. This will ensure a margin of 51.84 percent for milling copra and 63.26 percent for ball copra, which are well beyond 1.5 times the all India weighted average cost of production. Milling copra is used to extract oil, while ball/edible copra is consumed as a dry fruit and used for religious purposes. Kerala and Tamil Nadu are major producers of million copra, whereas ball copra is produced predominantly in Karnataka.

The MSP for 2024 season is an increase of Rs.300/- per quintal for milling copra and Rs.250/- per quintal for ball copra over the previous season. In the last 10 years, the Government has increased MSP for milling copra and ball copra from Rs.5,250 per quintal and Rs.5,500 per quintal in 2014-15 to Rs.11,160 per quintal and Rs.12,000 per quintal in 2024-25, registering a growth of 113 percent and 118 percent, respectively

A higher MSP will not only ensure better remunerative returns to the coconut growers but also incentivize farmers to expand copra production to meet the growing demand for coconut products both domestically and internationally. In the current season 2023, the Government has procured a record amount of more than 1.33 lakh metric tonnes of copra, at the cost of Rs.1,493 crores, benefiting around 90,000 farmers. The procurement in the current season 2023 indicates a rise of 227 percent over the previous season (2022).

National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF) will continue to act as Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs) for procurement of copra and de-husked coconut under Price Support Scheme (PSS).

PRODUCTION

The age of coconut and the extent of ripening of the coconut fruit affect the efficacy of oil extraction as well as the quality of the oil obtained. The age of a coconut can be two to twenty months when picked. Copra obtained from immature coconuts is more difficult to work with and produces inferior oil with lower yield.

Ripe coconut fruit, when removed from the trees, is covered with a thick, fibrous coat (husk) under which lies the hard nut – coconut. This coconut contains white fleshy oil-bearing kernel or meat and water (mixed with several nutrients) within its hollow part. The fibrous coat is removed to get the hard-coated (shell) coconuts, which are then cracked open and the soft meat and water are removed. The fresh meat may be processed to obtain virgin coconut oil. Alternatively, the unbroken coconut may be sun-dried to obtain dry copra which is later processed to produce coconut oil. The dry copra may be stored for longer periods of time and used directly in food preparations (after cutting it) or its oil may be extracted. Different methods are used to produce various grades of coconut oil, either from freshly produced meat of coconut or the dried meat of the coconut, i.e., copra.

Virgin (or Extra Virgin) coconut oil is produced from fresh meat or milk or residue (after milk removal) of coconut. Fresh coconut meat is processed either by wet milling or by drying the residue before extracting the oil. In both cases, the oil is extracted by using a screw press. Alternatively, the fresh meat may be processed by grating and drying to adjust its moisture content to 10 to 12% and then expressing the semi-dry meat to extract the oil. In another method, coconut milk is mixed with water, the emulsion broken and then the oil is separated.

The dry residue left after extraction of virgin coconut oil still contains small amounts of oil and therefore taken to solvent extraction plant for obtaining the residual coconut oil. More commonly, the dry copra is first extracted by the solvent-free method using expellers to obtain better quality coconut oil. Then the residue is processed through solvent extraction plant using food-grade hexane as a solvent to extract the residual coconut oil (8 to 12%). Dry copra may be extracted directly in solvent extraction plants. The coconut oil obtained by solvent extraction is generally refined to remove free fatty acids, bleached to reduce colour and even deodorized, depending on the intended end-uses. The solvent extracted copra meal can still contain residual 2 to 4% coconut oil. Processing dry copra through expellers generally offers about 60% yield (as high as 70%) of coconut oil based of dry weight. About 30 to 40% is oil cake.

Copra, after extraction of oil, leaves a residue which is palatable oil cake (or copra meal or mash). It is used in animal feeds, mainly for ruminants. It is used as fodder for horses, cattle, sheep and deer. Its high protein content (and oil content) is fattening for stock. Copra meal is a source of high quality protein for cattle, as it does not break down in the rumen. Copra meal has significant quantities of protein (18 to 25%) but even higher quantities of dietary fiber. Therefore, it is not fit for human consumption. Commercial process for extraction of protein from this residue is yet to be developed.