Coconut plantation expansion efforts underway
Walter Liyanarachchi
Plantation : Tender coconut plantation- promising rich coconut
harvest.
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TARGET: Energetic efforts are now being made to increase the
coconut plantation by 20,000 h.a. before end 2007 to meet the drastic
increase in local consumption and foreign demand for value-added
products, said Minister of Plantation Industries D. M. Jayaratne.
The accelerated programme will be streamlined under the 'Wevili
Saviya' campaign and maximum assistance will be given to the planters,
the Minister told the Daily News. A decision has also been taken to
subsidise the planters with a sum of Rs. 6,000 per acre and to provide
saplings at Rs. 50 which presently costs Rs. 80.
A survey is underway to identify barren lands for new plantations
throughout the country where suitable climatic conditions prevail for
coconut, he said. Minister expressed hopes to encourage the potential
planters to grow export-oriented additional crops such as pepper.
Felling of coconut trees awfully reduced the number of acres of
coconut cultivation. This practice was unavoidable due to the
house-building increase catering to the increasing population. Another
constraint is to find labour when going through the process of meeting
the new plantation target, the Minister said.
Export performance of coconut products - 2006 states that coconut oil
amounting to 1,449 m tonnes had been exported and the total income
accrued was Rs. 138.1 mn, indicating an increase of 23 per cent in
comparison to 2005. |