CHENNAI: The Coconut Development Board (CDB) has constituted a high-level expert committee to assess the alarming spread of root (wilt) disease affecting coconut plantations across Tamil Nadu and to recommend effective management strategies.
The decision follows representations from several farmer groups during the recent visit of Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan to the State. The Minister was apprised of the growing concern among cultivators over the disease's impact on yield and productivity in major coconut-growing regions.
Acting on directions from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the CDB has formed a six-member committee comprising leading scientists and officials. The panel includes KB Hebbar, Director, ICAR–CPCRI, Kasaragod; the Director of Horticulture, Government of Tamil Nadu; B Hanumanthe Gowda, Chief Coconut Development Officer, CDB; G Karthikeyan, Professor of Plant Pathology, TNAU, Coimbatore; R Arulprakash, Associate Professor of Entomology, TNAU–CRS, Aliyarnagar; and E Aravazhi, Director, CDB, Regional Office, Coimbatore, who will serve as Convener.
The committee will undertake extensive field visits in the affected districts to assess the intensity of the disease and suggest both short-term and long-term containment measures. It has been directed to submit a comprehensive report with practical recommendations to the Ministry within 15 days.