Seventy five years of research in processing and product development in plantation crops - Coconut, arecanut and cocoa

Coconut and arecanut are the major plantation crops and their cultivation has deep root in the culture and history of India. Cocoa is an understory crop of coconut and arecanut and is of recent origin to India. In order to enhance the production of coconut and arecanut in India number of committees and organizations were set up both during pre-independence and post-independence periods. These institutional mechanisms suggested research needs to enhance the productivity, better management of pest and diseases and marketing. However, it was rarely felt that there is a need for research on advanced processing and product diversification in India. During 1990s there was sufficient area expansion and steady increase in productivity that resulted in market glut leading to price crash thereby emphasized the need for value addition and product diversification so as to stabilize the price for the produce. Though value addition of plantation crop products is at its nascent stage in India, the recent innovations and the value chains systems developed can transform the farmers into entrepreneurs and can easily increase their income. There are well established organizations for research (ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute and State Agricultural universities), various developmental agencies [Coconut Development Board (CDB), Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development (DASD)], funding sources (like central and state government schemes, NABARD etc.) and to implement these value chains, farmer producer organizations are being established in each producing states. In this review we present the research developments during the last 75 years on value added products and product diversification of coconut, arecanut and cocoa which can be effortlessly taken up as a cottage or small scale industries.