A paper published in 2014 by Uma Ahuja et al., in the journal Asian Agri-History, points out that the coconut palm is considered as a native of Malesia, a bio-geographical region that includes Southeast Asia (notably India), Indonesia, Australia, New Guinea, and several Pacific Island groups. This paper deals with the history through archaeological, epigraphic, and historical records and its uses and related folklore. Coconut has been recorded in archaeological excavations and epigraphic inscriptions in India — in scriptures of religious, agricultural, and Ayurvedic importance. Its multiplicity of uses has earned it epithets like the Tree of life, Tree of abundance, and Kalpavriksha (a tree that provides all necessities of life). The authors point out that in addition to its food value, it has health, medicinal, and cosmetic benefits.
In India, coconut is mainly grown in southern States — Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. These states produce over 90% of coconuts. This is because these trees need a warm and sandy soil which is well- drained and nutrient-rich, a warm and humid climate, and abundant rainfall. North India, on the other hand, has a predominantly temperate climate, with cold winters and hot summers. The region also experiences distinct seasons with uneven rainfall, which are not conducive to the growth of coconut trees. However, some Northeastern States, with their appropriate temperatures and rainfall, also produce coconuts, but they have a clayey soil, not ideal for the trees to grow.
