Coconut kuridi (dehusked coconut) wholesale trade

Kuridi refers to shade-dried, dehusked mature coconut traded as a semi-processed commodity from coastal Andhra Pradesh to wholesale markets in northern India. The Konaseema and Amalapuram horticulture circle of coastal Andhra is the principal cluster, and the segment is supported by infrastructure and market interventions of the Coconut Development Board.

Overview

Mature coconuts are dehusked at the farm gate or village level, the kernel shade-dried to reduce moisture, and the cleaned nuts aggregated and graded by size for despatch in jute or wire-mesh sacks. The shelf life and shipping economics of kuridi make it the dominant form in which south-Indian coconut moves to terminal markets in north India.

Eligibility

The Coconut Development Board, a statutory body under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare set up under the Coconut Development Board Act 1979, extends scheme support to registered coconut growers, producer organisations and cooperatives in notified coconut-growing districts.

Benefit and structure

Under the coconut pack-house scheme, the Board co-finances construction of shade-drying and dehusking units, with reported sanctions of 349 such units in the East Godavari and Konaseema cluster of Andhra Pradesh. Pack-houses improve uniformity of drying, reduce post-harvest spoilage and enable better realisation for farmers selling into the kuridi trade.

Implementation

District horticulture offices process applications and verify completion; subsidy is released through bank-linked accounts. Trade flows downstream through commission agents and inter-state wholesalers (see Commission Agent Arthiya) using insulated trucks to markets in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

References

Horticulture — Amalapuram. Konaseema district administration.
Coconut Development Board. coconutboard.gov.in.