21Jan 2020 by tdimp@dmin

Coconut has staged a comeback as commercially viable crop – Part 2

Let’s continue from where we left in the previous blog. Coconut oil is loaded with a lot of therapeutic values as indicated by trusted medical reports and studies. Amongst vegetable oils, only lauric oils and palm kernel oil (PKO) are lauric oils consisting of monolaurin that is regarded as very healthy. What consumers buy in the market is often dictated by price. The market for CNO can take a dent if its price goes even a notch higher than that of PKO. It is recommended that producers and processors of high-value coconut-based products share their profits with the raw material suppliers. This would serve as an impetus for cultivators to replant senile palm, and enhance their farm management practices and stay industry-competitive in the long run. Key constraints: There are…

15Jan 2020 by tdimp@dmin

Coconut has staged a comeback as commercially viable crop – Part 1

Coconut

Coconut written off as a dying commodity for almost half a century is staging a strong comeback as an economically viable item in the marketplace for different household and industrial applications. This dramatic comeback can be attributed to the several initiatives undertaken by industry participants, particularly in the global processing arena, by pumping in funds heavily into the areas of upgrading, improving and enhancing the capacity of the current set-up for increased throughput. For instance, the number of coconut-based products alone has increased from 30 to 120 in the last one and a half-decade, as per a report submitted by the Kerala Government. And that’s good news from an industry growth perspective! Coconut and coconut-based product export value is now nearly $10 billion, out of which the exports of kernels…

10Jan 2020 by tdimp@dmin

Growing custom-made crop minus soil is possible with Cocopeat

Cocopeat

Emerging farming technologies like Hydroponics, the process of growing plants without the help of soil in a controlled environment has gained greater traction than ever before. If you have a glasshouse that is left unused, you can easily turn it into a hydroponics lab and not only grow common vegetables such as coriander, mint, lettuce, cucumber, capsicum, tomato, and beans, but also higher varieties such as bamboo, ferns and sand sanders using water alone. Usually, soil supplies the essential minerals required by the plans and acts as the holding medium. In the case of the hydroponics process, the soil is replaced with inert media such as pebbles, clay balls, coco peat or perlite, rock wool, etc. For the supply of nutrients, the germinated plants are usually grown in small cups…