Coconut growers to expand services

Anuradha KODAGODA

The Coconut Growers Association of Sri Lanka will expand its services in the Northern and Eastern provinces in the near future to facilitate coconut cultivation in these areas.

President, Coconut Growers Association of Sri Lanka, Anton Fernando said, “We have already set up six branches in several districts in the country and are planning to open a few more in the Northern and Eastern provinces in the near future. Expanding and enhancing coconut cultivation in these areas will create more job opportunities and it will help to develop projects that are already in operation in these provinces,”

“We have already launched educational programs to educate farmers who are engaged in coconut cultivation and will also introduce the new technology,” he said.

“It is important to get the younger generation involved in this sector and to educate them on the industry. Therefore, we are planning to organize awareness and special training programs to attract the younger generation to the industry,” he said.

A special scheme has been introduced by the Coconut Cultivation Board (CCB) for farmers on re-plantation and under-plantation.

The main issue of coconut cultivation is the coconut price instability. The main reason for the price instability is due to the price increase of fertilizer. Therefore, the cost of production gets affected and as a result the price of coconuts keep increasing. Inspite of all these difficulties, it is the responsibility of the CCB to motivate coconut growers by giving them reasonable subsidies, he said.

“There are 600,000-700,000 coconut growers in the country. Most of them cultivate below 10 acres and depend on their plantation.

“The Government’s involvement is vital in this sector. Without the institutional involvement and assessment, the growers could not sustain in the business and they will find it difficult to maintain their plantations,” he said.

“Due to the importation of Palm oil, during the past few years the demand and the price of coconut oil has been adversely affected. As a result growers earn a comparatively lower amount due to the cost of production. Hence, it is essential to strengthen the import policies to protect the coconut growers as well as farmers in the country,” Fernando said.

“Apart from the price instability, one of the main challenges we identified in this sector is that there are many endemic diseases in coconut cultivation. It limits the effectiveness and efficiency in the sector.

The Coconut Research Institute (CRI) with the guidance of the CCB and the ministry has introduced many solutions for growers to resolve these issues,” he said.