Coconut yield expected to rise this year

by Hiran H. Senewiratne

The country could expect a coconut yield of 2.7 billion nuts for this year owing to good and conducive weather conditions during this year. Therefore growers expect the farm gate price to be more than Rs 10 per nut to manage their estates in a proper way, the Coconut Growers' Association of Sri Lanka (CGASL) said.

'At present the farm gate price is around Rs. 7 - 8 for a nut which is insufficient to maintain coconut estates for growers in the country,' CGASL President J. V. R. Dias said.

"If we get a farm gate price less than Rs. 10, coconut growers would find it difficult to maintain their lands, especially the application of fertiliser," Dias said.

He also said that coconut growers are very much concerned on excessive importation of edible oil as many frauds and under hand activities are taking place when it is imported.

Dias said the coconut industry is facing a lot of problems such as the Mite epidemic, fragmentation of lands and low prices. With the low farm gate prices the industry cannot survive, he said.

As a solution for that, the Ministry of Plantation Industries held a seminar yesterday at the Coconut Cultivation Board. All stakeholders in the industry including producers, growers, exporters and shippers participated at the forum. He also said that since that the industry is mainly depending on the Desiccated Coconut (DC) industry, they expect to venture into export markets without concentrating only on traditional markets.

Dias also said that as the government pledged to continue with the fertiliser subsidy it would be a big consolation for the industry with the increase of the fertiliser prices in the world market.

With the conducive weather conditions and with the fertiliser subsidy for Murate of Potash this year we could easily reach the three billion nuts next year' he said.

According to statistics the industry needs to have a coconut yield of more than three billion.