THE COCONUT ECONOMY OF KEkALA 61 From Table I it is clear that area under coconut kept increasing at fast rates till the Annual Plans 1966-69. Since then it increased at a lower rate especially during the fourth plan and registered a negative growth during the fifth plan and was stagnant during the annual plans between 1978-80. Though there was the depressing effect of the decline in productivity" since 1955-56 which may have influenced the farmers, area under coconut grew, perhaps due to the following reasons, namely, (1) coconut was a crop which provided greater income compared to most other crops, (2) land reforms had increased the number of small operators for whom coconut was important in meeting their cash needs, (3) coconut labourers were not as militant as labourers in paddy cultivation. The causes for the decline in area since the fifth plan may be the following: (1) the incidence of root-wilt was intensifying and spreading, making many farms less remunerative, (2) * crops such as rubber were proving to be more remunerative, and (3) coconut is a crop under the purview of the land reforms act and to avoid land reforms, big farmers converted their coconut gardens to other plantation crops such as rubber. A study of the variation of area under coconut in various districts between 1957 and 1980-81 as shown in Table II shows that the biggest increase came in the case of Palghat and the only decrease in area came in Alleppey. For the two new districts of Idukki and Malappuram there was decline in coconut area between 1973-74 and 1980-81. Area in Alleppey declined due to reduction in gross area sown ; there was a reduction in the number of trees which were cut due to conversion of coconut area into other crops, especially plantation crops. Malappuram also showed a similar trend as in Alleppey. The adverse impact of the root-wilt which is a disease affecting coconut palms, is more keenly felt by the small and marginal farmers who predominate among the coconut cultivators in the state. This is because the small and marginal farmers who live on the edge of the poverty line experience a shortfall in production due to root-wilt. None of the measures taken by the government has benefited the root-wilt affected small coconut farmer substantially so as to save him from ruin. The small farmer still continues cultivation but to support his family, he has to supplement income from coconut with income from non-farming sources. The incidence and spread of the root-wilt is thus causing considerable strain to the coconut cultivator of Kerala. In the state about 15 to 20 per cent of the total number of palms are estimated to be root-wilt diseased.