Thiruvananthapuram:
The labour ministry of Kerala is in dire straits and has announced areward worth Rs 1 lakh for anyone who can invent a machine that canpluck coconuts from the trees due to an acute shortage of coconut pluckers.
"We are inviting mechanisation which can help solve the crisis andshortage, yet we ensure it will not affect the labour class", saidLabour Minister, PK Gurudasan on Thursday.
From Rs 70 a tree, the labour charge to climb and pluck coconuts has gone up to Rs 150.
Ironically, the price of a coconut is highest in the state, as compared to anywhere in the country. In most homes, coconuts have been going completely dry, even in the residence of the state's labour minister.
Theproblem of labour shortage and subsequent price rise also heighteneddue to the increased emigration of the labourers to the Gulf in thelight of better economic prospects.
Vendors say the price of a tender coconut is only Rs 5 but they charge12 rupees extra to pay up for labour wages. The price of a medium sizetender coconut has already touched Rs 17-19 each.
The heat this year will be more from tender coconuts which till some time ago helped 'Keralam' - the land of coconuts, cool off.