Estate & plantation produce
Copra
Copra (dried coconut kernel, from Cocos nucifera)
Also known as Dried coconut, Milling copra, Ball copra, Kobbari (Kannada)
Copra is the dried kernel of the coconut (Cocos nucifera) and the main raw material for coconut oil, so its price sets the tone for the entire coconut trade. The market runs on two streams: milling copra that goes to the oil crushers, and ball or edible copra sold whole as a dry fruit. India is the world's largest coconut producer, and copra is very much a South Indian business.
Origin & story
The coconut palm grows across peninsular India, but copra is concentrated in four southern states — Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh — which together account for the large majority of the country's coconut area and output. Milling copra is tied mainly to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, while ball copra has its heartland in the Karnataka maidan around Tiptur, in Tumkur district. This is more a coastal-and-plateau crop than a strictly Western Ghats one: the west-coast belt of Kerala and coastal Karnataka fringes the Ghats, but the big ball-copra tracts sit inland on the Deccan plateau.
How it grows
Copra is the coconut kernel dried down from roughly half its moisture to a low single-digit level, at which point the oil can be crushed out cleanly. Growers dry it under the sun, in smoke or hot-air kilns, or through heated tunnels that give a more uniform, whiter product; keeping moisture low matters because damp copra grows mould and can develop aflatoxin. Ball copra is made differently — fully mature nuts are stored for several months until the kernel shrinks and detaches from the shell, then the whole ball is lifted out intact.
For growers
Coconut does best in a warm, humid coastal-type climate with high relative humidity and well-distributed rainfall, and it tolerates a wide rainfall range on well-drained soil. It is not fussy about soil — laterite, coastal sandy, loamy, alluvial and clayey soils all grow it. West Coast Tall, Chandrakalpa and Tiptur Tall are among the varieties suited to Kerala and Karnataka. Research and planting material are backed by ICAR-CPCRI at Kasaragod and its Karnataka station at Vittal.
Grades & quality
Copra is graded mainly on moisture, foreign matter and the share of black or spoiled copra, and India has a BIS standard (IS 6220) covering copra for oil milling and table use. Buyers pay up for well-dried, low-moisture lots, which carry more oil. Ball copra is judged on being a clean, whole, unbroken kernel and fetches a premium over ordinary milling copra.
Uses & applications
Most copra is crushed for coconut oil, which goes into cooking, hair oils, soaps, detergents, cosmetics and margarine, and serves as a feedstock for lauric acid and lauryl alcohol. Ball or edible copra is eaten straight as a dry fruit, used in sweets and cooking, and features heavily in temple and pooja offerings. The leftover copra cake or meal is a standard cattle and livestock feed.
For buyers & the trade
India is the largest coconut producer in the world, but most copra and coconut oil is consumed at home rather than exported, so domestic supply and oil demand drive the price far more than shipments abroad. The government sets a Minimum Support Price each season — for 2024 it was Rs 11,160 per quintal for milling copra and Rs 12,000 for ball copra — with NAFED and NCCF procuring under the Price Support Scheme, which puts a floor under grower prices. Tiptur's APMC in Karnataka is the reference auction market for ball copra; for milling copra, watch Kerala and Tamil Nadu arrivals and the coconut-oil price, since copra tracks oil closely.
Live market rate
Today’s copra price
Indicative wholesale rate, range & recent trend from verified sources.
Frequently asked
Is this copra price AroWest's selling price?
No. This is an indicative wholesale/market reference in INR per kg, not AroWest's retail price and not a live guaranteed quote. It is intended to help you gauge prevailing market conditions; actual transaction prices vary by grade, moisture, location and dealer.
What is the difference between milling copra and ball copra?
Milling copra is dried kernel crushed to produce coconut oil and cake, priced largely on oil yield. Ball or edible copra is a whole, evenly sun-dried kernel sold for direct consumption and ritual use, and it usually trades at a premium to milling copra.
Does copra have a Minimum Support Price?
Yes. Copra is one of the commodities for which an official minimum support price is announced, which can act as a reference floor and trigger procurement when market rates fall near or below that level.
Where does the price data come from?
Reference rates are compiled from authorised public sources tracking wholesale market activity. Because copra quality, moisture and grade vary, treat the figure as a broad indication rather than a precise transaction price.
Compiled from public agricultural, commodity-board and trade sources — indicative and educational, not medical advice and not an AroWest retail price. Confirm specifics with your local package of practices or your supplier.
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