Contribution of Professor M. S. Valiathan to Boosting the Agro-Economy of Kerala State

Professor M. S.Valiathan

Contribution of Professor M. S. Valiathan to Boosting the Agro-Economy of Kerala State

The caption above may surprise everyone. How can a cardiac surgeon and a biomedical scientist contribute to the economy of Kerala, especially in agriculture? But it is true. 

In 1990, when I came to Kerala, the price of coconut oil was very low. The medical advice that was prevalent was “never use coconut and coconut oil” as they contain cholesterol. Therefore, the market was very low for coconut and coconut oil. 

Somewhere in the early 1990s, the Coconut Development Board in Kochi invited Professor M. S. Valiathan to study the results submitted by Prof. Rajmohan from the Biochemistry Department of Kerala University.

Prof. Rajmohan studied the effect of coconut oil consumption on cholesterol levels in humans. Based on the results, Prof. M. S. Valiathan debunked the fallacy that existed in the population and declared that coconut oil consumption in moderation is not harmful at all. This statement initiated a big discussion among the medical fraternity, and it was a Mahabharata war where Prof. Valiathan was on one side and the whole medical fraternity was on the other side. I was on Prof. Valiathan’s side as an armbearer. I was fully supporting Professor Valiathan because I had seen how the Americans were using coconut oil to fry macadamia nuts in Hawaii. I knew that Keralites use much less oil than people in other states. 

Anyway, the battle went on, and I was publishing literature on coconut and coconut oil. I had given many public lectures on this subject. Now it is very clear who won the war. 

The debunking fallacy slowly awakened industries based on coconut and coconut oil. Today, a lot of people are involved in the industry, contributing to the economy of our state.