Agricultural Research Journal

Favourable natural factor endowments for coconut cultivation are concentrated in the Southern Peninsular Plateau of India, with four major states - Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu accounting for 89% of the total area and 91% of the total production. The purpose of this study is to analyze the growth and instability in coconut production, examine the components driving production changes, and assess the relative efficiency of area and yield across these states. Secondary data from reliable sources covering the period 2000-2020 was used for the analysis, employing appropriate statistical tools. The findings reveal that, over the last decade (2011-2020), the growth rate of coconut production has declined, except in Kerala. Both area and yield have shown negative trends in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka (yield rate alone), and Tamil Nadu. Despite this, these states exhibit lower instability indices in terms of area and yield. The major contributors to changes in production are attributed to yield effects, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala. This indicates that improvements in yield play a crucial role in driving production growth in these regions, highlighting the need for strategies focused on yield enhancement to sustain coconut production in the future.