Indian state decides coconut trees are no longer trees but palms

Goan authorities remove the coconut from their official list of trees to make it easier for them to be cut down by farmers

Coconut trees are no longer considered trees in the tropical Indian state of Goa, where authorities have reclassified them as palms to allow farmers to cut them down more easily.

Officials said they dropped the Cocus nucifera from Goa's official list of trees in order to help coconut farmers cull old or ailing stands without having to deal with red tape. But environmentalists and the state's opposition lawmakers are incensed, and accuse the state of catering to industry and developers.