The coconut is a constant presence in Goa. Through its food , in its culture it is present. It cannot be missed. The coconut tree dominates the landscape. The area under coconut cultivation in Goa is 25,750 hectares and production is 128.15 million nuts per year. That is a lot of coconuts for sure. But in Goa there is a problem of finding people to pick the coconuts.
That however does not mean that there are people in the state to pick coconuts. There are around 250 people involved in the state in this business. What is interesting is that there are women also involved in coconut picking in Goa.
Shweta Gaonkar from Sanguem showed the people of Goa how to make a killing with a different ‘sur’ or toddy from coconut palm, the ‘State Tree of Goa’ She makes it look like child’s play. Impossible is nothing for this sportsperson who has played cricket, handball, table tennis and tennikoit during her college days and learnt to do tissue culture, and climb coconut trees thereafter. There are some quick learners and one can hope to see a lot of ‘sur’ flowing in different locations across Goa before the year ends.
The coconut tree bears between six and twenty bunches of coconuts each year. This is influenced by the coconut variety, the location where it is grown, the management practices and its state of health. The West Coast Tall or WCT varieties like Benaulim (with green, yellow or red husked nuts), Pratap, Calangute, Tiptur, Lakshadweep, etc bear less number of bunches per year than the three dwarf varieties with yellow, orange or green coloured husk and petiole, from Chowghat in Kerala.
Shewta said she grew up in an environment where she used to climb trees. She used to climb trees and she got really interested. She said, “ People get opportunities, I received training. I had basic knowledge in basic agriculture and then I learned and got practical knowledge. I got all the knowledge in the business. People then started calling me for lectures on toddy tapping and coconut meera extraction. Meera is a pure natural health drink. We have to collect it in a chilled form. Coconut mera is collected from the Coconut stathe.” Her first demonstration was at Odxel Chapel at Don Bosco Talegaon. It was for 60 farmers from all over Goa. Response was very good. Then those who missed out called her to the farms to teach them toddy tapping. Later then the government departments also got involved. The Agriculture department based in Margao called her and they conducted workshops all over in the various constituencies. In Margao there was a problem with no pluckers and she helped. She has a rate of Rs 100-120 per tree. There are in her estimation around 50,000 coconut trees in Goa. She said the door to door business she had was for those who did not get pluckers. In any business there are problems. She said she and her group had to travel long distances sometimes for just one tree. And they were not in the habit of disappointing customers so they would not turn down business. Another issue in the monsoon was that trees would get attacked by the Rhinoceros beetle and the trees had to be treated. They would get several calls everyday. She said a usual day would last around 10 hours of work a day.
Toddy tapping can provide an income of Rs 3.60 lakhs per year from just ten trees yielding 15 litres toddy per spathe and sold at Rs 120 per litre.
Another lady in the business is Estella Pires. Estella Pires , a Navelim-based agro-entrepreneur is carrying forward the profession of her ancestors . She is a graduate in agriculture and also does landscape and garden design, conducts workshops on kitchen gardens, manuring, natural pesticides, marketing of produce, under the brand 'Casa de Vegetais' . Together with her senior, Liza Pinheiro, she also organises agri and eco treks and tours. However, her latest passion is now taking her to greater heights- quite literally! Estella trains people of all ages to climb coconut trees, so they can harvest their own coconuts and tap toddy.
“I was trained by the best, my senior Shweta Gaonkar, who is affectionately known as the ‘Goan renderina’,” says Estella, who attended the week-long course conducted by Shweta for the Agriculture Department and the Coconut Development Board two years ago. After learning the skill and practicing it on coconut trees at home, she has trained people to scale the tree using the coconut climbing machine, now easily available in Goa. “We use the basic manual variant of the machine, which costs between Rs 3,000 to 4,000. While the device itself is quite safe and heavy-duty, you can also get a harness for added protection, especially if you have a fear of heights,” explains Estella, adding that there is also an automatic machine available in the market.
She points out that the numbers of toddy tappers and coconut pluckers in Goa are fast dwindling, and people with coconut trees often find it difficult to find labour to harvest their coconuts. “Toddy tappers are even fewer, and there is always a shortage of toddy for the vinegar as well as the feni producers,” she says, recalling how her own grandfather, who was a feni distiller in his day, had to shut shop as he was finding it difficult to source enough fresh toddy.
Estella says a tree-climbing aspirant does not have to be particularly athletic – the will to climb is most important. “I wish more young people will come forward to learn this skill – the Agriculture Department offers the course for free – and Goan youth can also take this up as a business and offer the service to people with coconut trees,” she says earnestly.
While Estella is keen on expanding her knowledge about traditional toddy tapping, the BA Agriculture graduate says it’s a myth that tapping toddy from a tree decreases its coconut yield. “On the contrary, tapping toddy gives the tree a boost to produce more coconuts after an initial slowdown,” she says.
Estella says she has always been outdoorsy, and nursed a special love for nature, that led her to pursue a degree in agriculture even though her parents were not so keen. “During my childhood, I would accompany my father’s sisters to our paddy fields, and assist them with every step in the process, from field work to boiling and processing the paddy. My parents wanted me to become a physiotherapist, but I envisioned a life close to the soil and nature,” she quips, adding that former agriculture officer, Goa’s plant man Miguel Braganza is her mentor and motivator to move forward.
“In my final year of college, during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, I took up a horticulture project and grew a variety of vegetables at home, and when they were ready to harvest, I did not want to sell my produce and forget about it. With the help of my friends Vandit and Priyanka Naik of RasRaj farms, who provided me with fantastic vermicompost and organic fertilisers, I started my agro-venture in Cuncolim to market my produce,” she says.
Estella recently demonstrated her coconut tree climbing skills at the Ostoreanchem Fest in Navelim on Republic Day, and was surprised by the feedback she received from people of all ages.
“I was heartened by the response from both girls and boys, and I’m glad youngsters are showing interest in traditional Goan occupations, so we can preserve our natural wealth for posterity,” she says.
The situation will certainly improve in the years ahead with the number of pluckers increasing.