Coconut Pluckers in Short Supply
A scarcity of coconut pluckers in Kerala, India, threatens to undermine one of its most important industries. India produces 15 billion coconuts a year, and just about every one is plucked by hand. S. Mohan prepared a coconut for drinking in the neighborhood of Kera in Trivandrum, Kerala, India.
Plucking coconuts is a dangerous job that requires experience and judgment. The nuts ripen at different times, and trained climbers have to decide whether a nut is ready to be plucked. K. Rameshan prayed before climbing a coconut tree in a grove along the beach in the village of Mararikulam North, in Kerala.
The climber must climb tall trees, carrying a heavy blade to slice the nuts from their stems. One misstep and he would surely fall, as much as 100 feet to the ground.
Hindus use coconuts as an offering at a shrine and temple in Trivandrum.
Mr. Rameshan climbed a coconut tree in Mararikulam North in Kerala. Solutions such as using mechanical platforms that raise pluckers to the top of trees and using trained monkeys have proved unworkable because of expense and due to animal cruelty laws Because coconuts are essential to the economy, Kerala’s state government is sponsoring an international design competition to develop coconut-picking machines.
