Minister K Rajan Opposes Shifting Coconut Development Board Headquarters from Kerala

Revenue Minister K Rajan has vehemently stated that any attempts to relocate the headquarters of the Central Coconut Development Board from Kerala will be staunchly opposed. The minister made these remarks while delivering a memorial lecture on the tenth death anniversary of P.G. Velayudhan Nair in Thiruvananthapuram. Rajan highlighted Nair as the pivotal figure behind the Indira Gandhi government’s decision to establish the Coconut Development Board on a national level.

Minister Rajan urged all stakeholders, irrespective of their political affiliations, to unite against efforts aimed at moving the Board’s headquarters out of Kerala. He underscored that the Board was originally conceived and established for the welfare and upliftment of coconut farmers. He further elaborated that it was solely through the dedicated efforts of P.G. Velayudhan Nair—a freedom fighter, an undivided Communist leader, and the founder of the Kera Karshaka Sangham (Coconut Farmers’ Association)—that the Central Coconut Board Act was introduced in 1979 following a direct meeting with then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, leading to the Board’s establishment in 1981.

Indira Gandhi herself had designated Kerala as the appropriate location for the Board’s headquarters. Despite P.G. Velayudhan Nair’s strong communist convictions, he envisioned and created the Kera Karshaka Sangham as an inclusive platform to rally farmers together, transcending political differences.

The memorial event also featured speeches by other prominent leaders of the Kera Karshaka Sangham, including Adv. J. Venugopalan Nair, G. Gopinathan, Thalayal P. Krishnan Nair, and A. Pradeepan. The collective voice emphasized the historical significance of Kerala as the Board’s home and the need to preserve its original mandate and location for the benefit of the state’s vital coconut farming community.