Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan to Inaugurate National Stakeholders’ Meet on Coconut Promotion Scheme at IIT Madras
Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan to Inaugurate National Stakeholders’ Meet on Coconut Promotion Scheme at IIT Madras
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare and Rural Development Shri Sivaraj Singh Chouhan will inaugurate a National Stakeholders’ Meet on the Coconut Promotion Scheme at IIT Madras, in Chennai on 7 March 2026.
The Union Minister will provide a policy vision and guidance for the effective implementation of the scheme. He will also interact with the coconut farmer leaders. Senior policymakers, including the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, and Secretaries of Agriculture and Horticulture from major coconut-growing Southern States, will participate in the deliberations. Elected representatives and senior officials of the Coconut Development Board will also be present.
The conference will witness the participation of more than 1,000 coconut farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), researchers, entrepreneurs, and policy stakeholders from across the country.
The Stakeholders’ Meet is being convened in the backdrop of the announcement of the Coconut Promotion Scheme in the Union Budget 2026–27, aimed at revitalising and ensuring the sustainable development of India’s coconut sector, which supports the livelihoods of nearly 30 million people, including about 10 million coconut farmers.
The Coconut Promotion Scheme envisages a holistic and integrated approach to address key structural challenges in the sector, including declining productivity, ageing and senile plantations, pest and disease incidence, shortage of quality planting material, and limited value addition. Major interventions proposed under the scheme include large-scale production of quality coconut seedlings, expansion of coconut cultivation in potential areas, phased replanting and rejuvenation of senile and unproductive gardens, adoption of holistic crop health management practices, and establishment of integrated coconut processing units to strengthen value addition and exports.
During the Stakeholders’ Meet, State Governments will present state-wise strategies and interventions, followed by an interactive session with farmers, FPOs, researchers and entrepreneurs, providing a platform for grassroots feedback, experience sharing, and policy refinement.
The event aims to build national consensus, foster Centre–State convergence, and mobilise stakeholder participation for the successful rollout of the Coconut Promotion Scheme, with the larger vision of transforming India into a global leader in coconut and coir product exports by the 2030s, while ensuring higher incomes, sustainability and resilience for coconut farmers.