Replanting And Rejuvenation Scheme (S-R&R)

India is the third-largest coconut producing country in the world and the largest exporter of coconut and coconut products brings unparalleled revenue to the Indian economy. India is the major exporter of coconut oil to Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the main exporter of dry coconut to the US and European market. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, formulated a legal board called Coconut Development Board (CDB) to integrate the development of coconut cultivation in the country. The board provides financial assistance to the farmers and entrepreneurs to increase the coconut production and enhancing exports of coconut and its products. In this article, we will have a look at the Scaling up of Replanting and Rejuvenation of Coconut Gardens (S-R&R) scheme.

S-R&R Scheme Mission

The scheme envisions on the removal of old, senile, diseased and unproductive palms to improve the productivity of the

Cutting, Removal and Rejuvenation

Nature has certain adverse effects on the crops and the coconut palm is no different to it. The coconut palms and its general causes in terms of weeds, senile, older plantings lead to its low productivity. The other factors that lead to the low productivity of the coconut palms are:

1. The deprived genetic base of planting materials
2. Meagre attention of the crops/plants during cultivation
3. Improper management
4. Prone to pests and insects
5. Weeds, old and senile palms occupying the larger area

To overcome the above-said drawbacks and to enhance the production rate, an Integrated Management System in the form of Rejuvenation is employed through the scheme. This system helps the coconut growers with the following essentials:

• Preservation of soil and moisture level of the planted area.
• Proper, unbiased and regularised irrigation facility with smooth drainage.
• Improvising the nutrition of the coconut palms with the right amount of fertilizers.
• The regular spacing and the shade optimisation to overcome the crowded plantings.
• Planting and encouraging green and organic manure cover crops.
• Enabling plant-protection measures by utilizing botanicals and bio-agents.

Commencement of the Project

The Coconut Development Board and the Department of Agriculture work hand-in-hand for the execution of this project. The programme visualises in the farmer participatory mode and delivers the subsidy in the following standards:

• The Coconut Producers Society (CPS)/Coconut Producers Federation (CPF)/Coconut Producers Company (CPC) are the main contributors to initiate the programme.
• The panchayats are nominated within the districts of the contiguous areas.
• The initial survey covers all the particulars of the palms
• The CPC/CPF cross-checks and gets it approved from the Local Agricultural Board on the defected palms identified by the farmers.
• The Coconut Board facilitates the formulation of the project report by the clusters based on the Local Agricultural Board approval.
• A consolidated report of the Local Agricultural Officer comprising of all the individual clusters at the panchayat level will be presented by the Area Development Committee (ADC).
• The State Government expedites the Project’s documentation and recommends to the CDB.
• The CPS/CPF are allied to a credit institution in providing inputs for the rejuvenation programme.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicant should be the owner of the land
• Assistance under the scheme will be limited to 4 hectare per farmer.
• Every farmer from the contiguous area can apply for the subsidy
• Every transaction either in the form of clusters or cluster turned Coconut Producer Society should be registered with the Coconut Development Board.

The applicant is liable for cutting and replanting of the palm with new ones under the following satisfactory circumstances:

• The infected palm should be marked clearly
• The infected palm should yield lesser than 10 coconuts per year
• Local Agricultural Officer’s approval must be obtained for the infected palm
• The approved infected palm should be removed within three months period
• Good quality seedlings must to be used for replanting
• The seedlings should be purchased from State Department of Agriculture/Horticulture or State Agricultural Universities/Coconut Development Board/Central Plantation Crop Research Institute
• The replacement or replanting should be done within one year from the date of removal of infected palms
• Soil testing should be carried out prior to replanting

Conditions to be followed for Rejuvenation

• The palms in the garden should be completely healthy for being rejuvenated.
• The planned garden for rejuvenation should not be an abandoned garden (or) should not be a land without a proper landlord.
• The area to be rejuvenated must be surveyed and all the basic data of the garden/farmer needs to be recorded.

The subsidy claimed by the farmers can be utilised for the following purposes:

• To encourage the Integrated Management practices for the Rejuvenation of the coconut gardens recommended by Central Plantation Crop Research Institute (CPCRI) or State Agriculture University’s (SAUs).
• For cutting and removal of old, unproductive, diseased and senile coconut palms and field sanitation.
• Proper usage of disease tolerant tall, hybrids and dwarf cultivars for replanting to maintain optimum palm population i.e., 160-175 palms per hectare.

Rate of Assistance

1. Removal of old, senile, unproductive and disease advanced palms with compensation of Rs.13000 per palm (i.e. Rs.500 for the first 20 palms and Rs.250 for the remaining palms limited to 12 palms per hectare).

• • For Rejuvenation
    • A sum of Rs.15000 per hectare will be provided in two instalments of Rs.7500 each for the espousal of Integrated Management practices.
    • A maximum of 4 hectares per beneficiary is the eligibility for availing assistance under this component.

1. Assistance for replanting - Rs.20 per seedling is released to the farmers.
2. Implementation, monitoring, evaluation and training are aimed at 50% replantation to maintain optimum and sustainable density.