Coimbatore, April 27: The ongoing tensions in the Middle East and disruptions in maritime routes have severely affected the export of raw coconuts from Pollachi, Tamil Nadu. For the past two months, shipments to major international markets have nearly come to a standstill. Traders are increasingly worried about rising freight costs and significant delays in transportation.
Despite consistent demand from foreign buyers, many shipments have been canceled. Buyers are exercising caution due to the unstable conditions in transport and logistics. The global shipping disruptions have exacerbated the crisis, leading to congestion on major maritime routes and issues with route changes.
Transport through the Suez Canal has slowed considerably, while adopting alternative routes has extended delivery times to European countries to nearly a month.
Shipments to Gulf countries have also been impacted. Instead of sending vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, they are being rerouted, doubling the time required for transport. This situation makes it increasingly difficult to export perishable goods like raw coconuts. Consequently, exports to Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have completely halted, and shipments to major markets in Europe, East Asia, and North America have also been suspended.
The prolonged transportation times have made it challenging to maintain product quality, as raw coconuts spoil quickly, with a shelf life of only about a week.
Domestically, the sector is facing additional pressure due to a shortage of labor, as a significant portion of workers is engaged in election-related activities. This has severely disrupted tasks such as harvesting, peeling, processing, and packaging in farms and export units. The rise in production costs due to increased fertilizer prices following the conflict has further burdened farmers economically.
Moreover, the impact of pests like whiteflies and root wilt, along with prolonged dry spells, has adversely affected coconut production, resulting in a reported decline of up to 25% in yield.
Notably, Coimbatore district utilizes a total of 86,800 hectares for coconut cultivation, with a significant portion located in the Pollachi area. Pollachi is renowned for its high-quality raw coconuts, which contain a substantial amount of water.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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