Coconut growers meet Economic Development Minister:

Cultivators request fertilizer subsidy

Chaminda PERERA

Coconut growers islandwide yesterday requested the Government to introduce the fertilizer subsidy to boost coconut production which has dropped by 15 percent this year. They insisted that fertilizer subsidy should be given to all.

They made this request at a meeting chaired by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday.

The growers insisted that the small scale coconut growers do not use fertilizer for cultivation as they cannot afford the prices of fertilizer. The increase in fertilizer prices have made an adverse impact on the production, they said.

Representatives of the Coconut Growers Association pointed out that a coconut tree needs at least three Kgs of fertilizer per year.

They were of the opinion that they would be able to double coconut production in a year if the fertilizer subsidy is extended to each and every coconut grower.

The coconut growers made this observation at a meeting with Coconut Development and Estate Infrastructure Development Ministry officials at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday to discuss the issues pertaining to the increase in coconut prices and measures that can be taken to avert the price increase on President Mahinda Rajapaksa's directive.

The meeting was chaired by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

The Minister said that President Rajapaksa has sought a comprehensive report from him on how coconut production can be promoted in the country.

Coconut Research Institute officials said that more than 300,000 coconut trees which were affected by the coconut blight have to be felled.

They said that coconut cultivation in Galle and Matara districts have been affected and they cannot inspect each and every coconut tree in the area. Minister Rajapaksa added that Agriculture Research and Development Assistants and the Grama Niladharis should be given powers to identify such trees and issue an order to fell them.

He said that President Rajapaksa has sought a comprehensive report from the Economic Development Minister over the coconut price hike in the market.

Coconut Development Board officials pointed out that coconut production has dropped by 30 percent due to mita infection prevalent in Mannar and Puttalam districts.

The Ministry officials said that import of palm oil has decreased and 70,000 MT out 150,000 Mts of total coconut oil requirement of the country were produced in Sri Lanka.

It was disclosed that over 3,700 million coconuts were used to produce coconut oil.

This has also led to the coconut shortage in the country.