Ready, Set, Sell: Tamil Nadu Gears Up for Copra Buying Season

Agricultural Marketing Board Madurai Prepares for Price-Supported Purchases

Farmers in Tamil Nadu, eagerly awaiting the start of the copra (dried coconut) procurement season, can now look forward to selling their produce without delay. The Agricultural Marketing Board Madurai has fully prepared to start buying copra under the Price Support Scheme (PSS). We expect to begin the purchase process soon and it will run until June. Through this scheme, we will buy copra from farmers at a minimum support price of approximately $1,34 per kg. Only copra with a moisture content of less than 6% and a quality rating of above average in laboratory tests will be eligible for purchase. Payments will be directly deposited into the farmers' bank accounts. This year, the procurement target is 175 tonnes of copra, with expectations of 160 tonnes from the Vadipatti market and 15 tonnes from the Melur market, exceeding last year’s procurement of 125 tonnes in Madurai.

Aiming High: Ambitious Procurement Targets and Farmer Assistance

From Awareness Campaigns to MSP Increases, Tamil Nadu Supports Its Coconut Farmers

For Ramanathapuram district, one of the largest coconut-growing areas, the goal is to procure 765 tonnes of copra. This effort reflects an increasing trend in copra procurement in Madurai, which has seen significant growth year after year. Special awareness campaigns are in place to help farmers produce copra that meets the prescribed procurement standards. Farmers are encouraged to sell their produce in Vadipatti and Melur markets to secure better prices. For further information, they can reach out to Agriculture Department officials.

Coconut farming plays a vital role in Tamil Nadu's agriculture. In recognition of this, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, approved the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for copra for the 2024 season last December. To guarantee fair prices for their produce, the government declared in the Union Budget 2018-19 that it would fix the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crucial crops at no less than 1.5 times the All India Weighted Cost of Production. As a result, the MSP for fair average quality of milled copra now stands at approximately $1,34 per kg, and for ball copra, it is about $1,44 per kg. This pricing guarantees profit margins of 51.84% and 63.26%, respectively, exceeding 1.5 times the national average cost of production.