MARAIKULAM, INDIA // Like his father, grandfather and great-grandfather before him, Rajan Kochuveliyal is a coconut plucker.
For more than a century, the men of the Kochuveliyal family have earned a living shimmying up the swaying palms of Mararikulam, a coastal village in the south Indian state of Kerala.
Mr Kochuveliyal, who is 55, will retire soon, and his only son - like so many other young men from his community - has no desire or need to take over.
"There are very few of us left. When my generation stops climbing, there will be no one left to do this," Mr Kochuveliyal said one recent morning as he prepared to climb the first tree of the day.
"Young people can choose their jobs nowadays. They don't want to climb trees wearing a loin cloth - it is a dangerous job without status."
This presents India with a serious problem.
The country produces 15 billion coconuts every year, making it one of the world's top producers, and almost every single one is still picked by hand. But in Kerala, by far India's biggest coconut-growing state, the number of pluckers has plummeted in recent years to 15 per cent below what is needed to harvest the crop.
And the country's Coconut Development Board expects that shortfall to widen further in the next decade as pickers get too old to climb.
So Kerala's government has come up with a novel solution - a competition to design a coconut-picking machine that can be operated from the ground.
Three winners, to be announced in September, will each receive a prize of one million rupees (Dh81,000) - a sum that, until recently, few coconut pluckers could hope to make in a lifetime.
"Our purpose was to design something to bring the coconut down," said T Balakrishnan, Kerala's industry secretary and the man in charge of the competition.
"People don't have to go up if the coconut comes down."
Easier said than done.
The machines must be cheap, easy to transport, independently powered, operable from the ground in confined spaces, and capable of plucking coconuts at heights of 30 metres. Because coconuts on the same tree ripen at different times, they must be able to cut out only those ready for harvest. They have to cut from above so the nut does not fall directly on them.
They must allow for the fact that the trunk of the coconut palm is notchy and rough and gets covered in slippery moss during the monsoon. And above all, they must be easy to use.
"We want to produce something that the farmers or even a housewife could use on their own," Mr Balakrishnan said.
He launched the competition in August and was quickly overwhelmed by the response.
So far, more than 460 designs have been entered, including some from Israel, Bahrain and France, and more are still coming in.
Entrants include engineering students, government professors - and even a coconut plucker.
Eight designs have already won funding to develop a prototype, but the competition remains open to anyone who wants to enter a working model in the final.
"Some of the designs we received were crazy," Mr Balakrishnan said. "One designer suggested using a small balloon to reach the coconuts."
Most, however, opted for one of two designs: a rotating blade on the end of a long pole, or a robotic cuff that grips and climbs the trunk and cuts with a saw on an extendable arm.
These may sound like the fantasies of Heath Robinson, known for his drawings of eccentric machines, but the contest is deadly serious for a region that has relied on the coconut for food, fuel and industrial raw materials for millennia.
Indians call it the kalpavriksha - Sanskrit for "the tree that gives everything" - and put almost every part of it to use.
The oil that is extracted from the nut is used for cooking and beauty products. The fibrous husks are used to make coir rope, mattresses and doormats, and the leaves for thatch roofs. Some Indians even use the tree's roots to brush their teeth and in the south of the country the palm sap is fermented into an alcoholic toddy.
All together, coconuts contribute more than US$18 billion to the Indian economy every year, according to the Coconut Development Board.
The problem is that coconuts have never been systematically cultivated in Kerala, where 90 per cent of them are still grown on small, private homesteads with as few as two or three trees.
"You find coconuts in the back garden of every Keralan house," said Minnie Mathews, the chairwoman of the Coconut Development Board, based in Kerala.
"The life of the people of Kerala revolves around the coconut."
Other coconut-producing countries such as Thailand and Malaysia have experimented with using hydraulic lifts or monkeys to harvest coconuts. But the lifts do not fit between the trees in Kerala, and animal-rights activists fiercely oppose the use of monkeys.
At the same time, human pluckers have been deserting the trade because decades of communist rule in Kerala have produced one of the most socially mobile states in India.
Ideas of caste, which still hold sway in many parts of northern India, have eroded here, meaning a son is no longer destined to hold the same social status or job as his father.
Widespread access to education has produced the highest literacy rate in India and remittances from workers in the Gulf have also helped Kerala's economy boom.
"Children from villages can get jobs in the IT sector or government; they are no longer confined to their family's traditional occupation," Ms Mathews said.
The trend started in the mid-1990s when many pluckers started to take advantage of free state education and sent their children to school rather than teach them to climb trees.
The Coconut Development Board responded by running classes to teach people how to climb trees using a small portable climbing apparatus - but few of those they trained remained in the job once a better opportunity came along.
The dearth of pluckers means that their income has risen from two rupees per tree 10 years ago to 20 to 30 rupees a tree today, but that still has not stopped people leaving the business.
Some coconut farmers have even experimented with bringing in non-skilled workers from some of India's poorer sates, such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. But few of them could manage the work and the accident rate among those was very high.
So until the competition is over, India's multibillion-dollar coconut industry still depends on people such as Mr Kochuveliyal, who has been plucking since he was seven.
Before he climbs the first tree of the day, he stops to offer a brief prayer to the Hindu god Shiva, placing his hand first on the trunk, and then on his muscular chest.
"Oh Lord," he whispers, "protect me while I climb."
With that, he puts his feet inside a small rope loop, places his hands around the trunk and begins to climb the towering palm.
hgardner@thenational.ae
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Planes grounded by coronavirus
British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30
Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
Ai Seoul: Suspended all flights to China
Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March
Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February
South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air: Suspend all flights
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Squad for first two ODIs
Kohli (c), Rohit, Dhawan, Rayudu, Pandey, Dhoni (wk), Pant, Jadeja, Chahal, Kuldeep, Khaleel, Shami, Thakur, Rahul.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The biog
Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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Key fixtures from January 5-7
Watford v Bristol City
Liverpool v Everton
Brighton v Crystal Palace
Bournemouth v AFC Fylde or Wigan
Coventry v Stoke City
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
Manchester United v Derby
Forest Green or Exeter v West Brom
Tottenham v AFC Wimbledon
Fleetwood or Hereford v Leicester City
Manchester City v Burnley
Shrewsbury v West Ham United
Wolves v Swansea City
Newcastle United v Luton Town
Fulham v Southampton
Norwich City v Chelsea
A%20MAN%20FROM%20MOTIHARI
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