Dwindling bounty: A worker arranging coconuts for sale in preparation for Thaipusam next month at a shop in Jalan Datuk Keramat, Penang. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: This Thaipusam will likely see fewer coconuts being smashed due to a significant shortage caused by adverse weather conditions.
As a result, devotees may have to pay more as the limited supply has driven up prices.
Penang-based coconut supply shop managing director M. Joel Jeyachandran said the shortage began in September, primarily due to prolonged rainy weather that affected coconut production.
“It is a poor harvest, yet demand remains high. This has caused pricing to surge.
“Last year, a coconut was priced at RM1.90, but this year, the price has gone up to RM2.50,” he said.
Joel said he could only allocate 30,000 coconuts for this year’s Thaipusam celebration, a significant reduction compared to the 70,000 he supplied last year.
“We have informed those interested that coconuts will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis to ensure fairness and prevent disappointment.
“Orders have started coming in, but we expect demand to pick up in February, closer to the celebration,” he said. “There is just not enough coconuts this year.
“We are finding it difficult to even meet our daily demands for temple prayers, especially those used for Archanai (offering) rituals,” he said.
Coconut supplier A. Anbarasan, based in Sitiawan, Perak, said the shortage is a nationwide issue.
“The plantations that supply us have informed us that this year’s harvest is poor due to the weather.
“They simply do not have enough supply to meet the growing demand,” he said.
As a result, Anbarasan said he will not supply coconuts for Thaipusam celebrations.
He said he did not have enough to meet the needs of both temples for daily prayers and the demand from devotees for Thaipusam.
“Given the limited supply, I have to prioritise the temples’ needs for regular rituals.”
Anbarasan said the weather has been particularly harsh in recent times, adding that every decade or more, coconut trees would yield fewer bunches.
“The wet weather has also caused the coconuts to take longer to dry, complicating the process.
“Typically, each harvest cycle occurs every 45 days, but to meet the demand, they have had to shorten this period to just 30 days.
“This means the shells are not as strong, and the coconuts haven’t fully browned, but we have no choice. We have to fulfil the temple orders,” he added.
Anbarasan, who used to supply 300,000 coconuts to devotees during Thaipusam, said he could not accept any orders for now.
“We used to be able to get 15,000 coconuts a day, but now it is difficult to get even 4,000 to 5,000,” he said.
Hindu devotees smash coconuts during Thaipusam to symbolise the breaking of one’s ego to reveal the purity within.
Thaipusam falls on Feb 11 this year, with coconuts usually broken during the journey of the chariots to and from the temples on the eve and the day after the celebration.