Galle Face green to have coloured coconuts

Hiran H. Senewiratne

COLOMBO: In a bid to make Galle Face Green more attractive, steps are being taken to plant coconut trees.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa had instructed Plantations Industries Minister D. M. Jayaratne to plant coconut trees alongside the palmyrah trees that have already been planted. The programme would get under way in one month subsequent to discussion with other companies.

A special high yielding variety (TRI 98) would be planted at Galle Face and a unique feature of the coconut would be that it would be available in five colours - red, yellow, green, brown and orange. This tree offers a practical solution for beautifying such areas.

Jayaratne said each bunch would have between 100-200 coconuts and this high yield is unmatched.

Seeds have been already imported from Papua New Guinea and India, which would be combined with locally grown seeds to produce these hybrid coconut plants. According to the Minister this breed is more suitable for urban areas since the tree is small.