SR&D and Innovation

The SEARCH, RESEARCH and DEVELOPMENT department or the SR&D Department has existed from the very inception of the Farm. Finding better ways to do the same task is a core philosophy at Deejay. This department believes that the only way to do a task is the best way. Finding that way and then improving on it, is the Deejay hallmark of innovation, improvement and creativity.

Twelve years ago, the SR&D Department reorganized itself to be even more efficient, comprising 9 young scientists and dedicated professionals, and added the “Search” division. Under the “SEARCH” section of R&D, the department has done an amazing job of identifying new cultivars, with different and new commercially viable characteristics.

The SR&D department is running a series of tests:

• A trial hybrid is under testing that will potentially yield over 4 tonnes of Coconut Oil per acre.
• Another trial is enhancing our new general purpose hybrid to a potential production of 350 nuts per tree per annum.
• A regular tall palm yields approximately 20 liters of Tender Coconut Water per tree per annum, while the Deejay Sampoorna yields more than 120 liters per tree per annum. A new hybrid is under testing that will potentially yield 200 liters of Tender Coconut Water per annum.
• A line of palms is under development with two spathes from each leaf. With this approach, instead of the bunches getting bigger and larger leading to stripping or buckling, we are exploring the possibility of doubling the number of bunches with each leaf having two spathes.