Big boost for coconut industry

S.M. Wijayaratne Kurunegala correspondent

“In order to revive the declining coconut industry in our country, the Ministry of Plantations has launched a massive program to increase the country’s coconut harvest upto 3,500 million nuts this year” said J.M. Sugathadasa, the District Coconut Development Officer (CDO) of Kurunegala.

He was addressing a workshop for coconut planters of the Kuruengala District held at Bingiriya Youth Training Centre.

He said that the Coconut Research Institute too has intensified its programs of educating coconut cultivators all over the country on ways and means of uplifting the coconut harvest this year.

Accordingly, 7500 small-scale coconut growers in the country would be educated on the use of carbonic manure, soil erosion and how to stop it, use of high-bred coconut seedlings and other successful methods that can be adopted for the increase of the coconut harvest.

A large extent of uncultivated lands would be utilised for growing coconuts.

He said that many by-products of coconuts can be very effectively used to earn extra money by being self-employed by the unemployed youths of our country.

He said coir brooms, ekel brooms, coir ropes, fibre industry and manufacturing charcoal by burning coconut shells are some of industries that can be started by using by-products of coconuts.

The CDO said during the past few years, only 2,700 million coconuts were harvested and the high cost of chemical fertilizers has discouraged coconut planters in manuring their estates. Consequently, the Ministry of Plantations has planned to educate coconut planters on the advantages and profitability of using carbonic manure for their cultivation this year.

The Government has allocated 5000 million rupees to develop the coconut industry this year.