A proposal to set up an International Market Centre for Coconut (IMCC) for Asia at Kochi has been mooted at the Asia Pacific Coconut Community meet.

In a presentation at the ongoing APCC’s 18-member ministerial meeting, TK Jose, Chairman, Coconut Development Board, said that APCC accounts for over 90 per cent of world coconut production but farmers are compelled to market their products in the buyers’ markets where cartels decide prices.

An international centre will focus on issues of production and marketing to improve the price discovery mechanism.

“Being the headquarters of Coconut Development Board and Coir Board, Kochi will be an ideal location for the Asia centre,” he said.

It will benefit the coconut producing countries to find ways to have a better marketing arrangement and improved pricing for value-added products.

At present, the reference point for international trading for coconut oil, copra, copra meal is Rotterdam market in Europe, which is a buyers’ market. The rates quoted in this market highly influence market price at Asia and Pacific region. Hence, it is important to have international coconut product markets in major producing countries, one each in Asia and Pacific region for the benefit of coconut farmers world-over, he said.

Establishment of IMCC for coconut products in India is expected to have substantial flow of benefits to Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia and to many South Pacific nations that rely heavily on export revenue generated by the coconut industry.

He said there was also a proposal to set up an International Centre of Excellence-Coconut in India.

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