India's coconut boom: Exports surge 62% as the humble fruit becomes big business

Export explosion

India’s humble coconut is turning into a serious export story. Coconut product exports surged 62% to Rs 7,038.35 crore in 2025-26 from Rs 4,349.03 crore a year earlier. Go back to 2001-02 and exports stood at just Rs 25.3 crore, showing how dramatically this once-traditional trade has transformed.

Global crown

India isn't merely growing coconuts for its domestic market—it now ranks first globally in production, accounting for 31.24% of the world's output. In 2024-25 alone, the country produced about 20,301.22 million nuts across 2.19 million hectares, with average productivity touching 9,249 nuts per hectare.

Export makeover

The coconut leaving Indian shores isn't necessarily the one you picture at a roadside stall. The export basket has expanded into virgin coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut water and activated carbon, while markets have spread beyond the Middle East to the US, Europe, Australia and other destinations.

Subsidy push

The government is putting money behind the coconut expansion. Farmers taking cultivation into new areas can receive Rs 56,000 per hectare under the relevant programme, while another productivity scheme provides a 100% cost subsidy of Rs 42,000 per hectare, subject to its beneficiary and area limits.

Budget bet

The next coconut push has already been planted in Budget 2026-27. A new Coconut Promotion Scheme targets ageing plantations, pests, disease, seedlings, replanting and processing as India looks towards a much bigger prize—becoming a global leader in coconut and coir exports by the 2030s.