Agriculture on Agatti is practically synonymous with coconut cultivation. The highly porous, sandy, and alkaline coral soil cannot support traditional grain, fruit, or vegetable farming. Consequently, the landscape is blanketed by dense groves of coconut palms.
Coconuts provide the raw material for copra production, coconut oil, and coir twisting, all of which are essential local trades. In terms of food production, the island relies completely on the ocean. The local fishery is robust and world-renowned for its sustainable practices, specifically the pole-and-line fishing of tuna. Livestock is minimal, consisting mostly of small numbers of backyard poultry and goats, and almost all other food staples (like rice, wheat, and vegetables) must be imported from the Indian mainland.
