<div style="text-align: justify; "><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The ongoing heat wave has increased the demand for green coconuts as many are rushing for its water to quench their thirst. They are paying a hefty price too.</span><br></b></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The price of green coconut has soared by Tk30 to Tk60 per piece while a small-sized green coconut is being sold at Tk100 in the capital. The medium and large-sized green coconut is selling at Tk150 to 200 per piece even, a record price.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jusinur, who sells green coconut at Motijheel area on a van, told UNB that the wholesalers have increased prices of green coconut by Tk 30 to 60 per piece after recent Eid vacation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He said he has never seen such a big hike in price in the five years he has been in the business. Not even during Covid-19 pandemic.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Imbrahim Sarder, a wholesaler of green coconut and fruits at Badamtoli of Sdarghat told this correspondent the demand, which was low immediately after Eid-ul-Fitr, made a big jump when the extreme heat wave came.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">These retail vendors purchase the green coconut at higher price from the large suppliers of the growers and this raises the price at the wholesale market, he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Similar high prices of green coconut were seen outside Dhaka Medical College, in Gulistan, Paltan and Shahbagh areas on Sunday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Karwan Bazar, a wholesale market, also saw a higher price of green coconut. The traders claimed that the prices of green coconut rose at the supply points in Barishal, Bhola, Bagerhat, Noakhali, Faridpur, Jashore and Mymensingh regions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the supply level, prices of green coconut have increased by Tk30 per piece over the last 10 days.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A wholesaler Surja Ali told UNB that green coconut is being sold in a lot of 100 pieces with price ranging from Tk12000 to 14000. Such a high price was not seen earlier.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The prices were less than Tk 2000 to 3000 even during the Ramadan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), a green coconut sold an average of Tk22 in 2009. In 2020 the price increased to Tk74 per piece.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Currently, the average price does go below Tk100 per piece, said SM Nazer Hossain, vice president of CAB.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The production of coconut fell to 510,360 tons in 38,221 hectares of land in FY 2021-22 from 688,691 tonnes in 46,960 hectares of land in FY 2016-17, according to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Analysing the DAE data, it is found that the production of coconut started to fall after FY 2019-20. The production of coconut was 663,851 tons in FY 2017-18, 650,932 in FY 2018-19, 653,520 tonnes in FY 2019-20, 519,458 tons in FY 2020-21 and 510,360 tons in FY 2021-22, according to the DAE data.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The highest was 88,000 tons of coconut produced in Bhola district in FY 2021-22 while the production in the district was 123,950 tons in FY 2016-17, reports UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dr. Mehedi Masood, project director of Year-Round Fruit Production for Nutrition Improvement under the DAE, said that cultivation of coconut is not increasing to match with the rise in the country’s population.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Because of rising demand, the price of both green coconut and coconut increased sharply in the country,” he said.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/fas</div>