Plan to boost coconut production

Annual target 4,000 m nuts by 2016:

Ishara MUDUGAMUWA

"Annual coconut production which is estimated at between 2,400 million and 2,700 million nuts at present will be increased to 4,000 million nuts by 2016" said Coconut Development and Janatha Estate Development Minister Jagath Pushpakumara.

The Minister was speaking at a press conference organized by the Media Centre for National Development held at the Information Department on Monday."

More than 17 percent of agricultural lands are cultivated with coconuts while 70 percent of coconut cultivations are owned by small and medium scale cultivators," he said. The Minister said about 700,000 Sri Lankans depend on coconut cultivation indirectly or directly. The country annually requires 3,500 million coconuts for local consumption and coconut based export products.

He said bad weather conditions, fertilizer prices and disease affected coconut cultivation in 2010, which resulted in 2,317 million nuts being produced.

'The Coconut Development and Janatha Estate Development Ministry has taken measures to increase coconut production and develop coconut related industries through Kapruka Purawaka, Divi Neguma and the Kap Rukai-Sip Nenai programmes,' the Minister said.

He said one million are being cultivated with coconut at present with 40 trees per acre at present. Plans are a foot to increase the number of trees per acre and increase productivity of the land by cultivating additional crops and facilitating animal husbandry. The Ministry plans to plant four million trees this year.

The Coconut Development and Janatha Estate Development Ministry also hopes to increase coconut based employment opportunities by 30 percent and the contribution to Gross Domestic Production from coconut by 30 percent.

Coconut Development and Janatha Estate Development Ministry Secretary Anura Siriwardane, Media Centre for National Development Director General Ariya Rubasinghe, Heads of all institutions running under the Ministry and Ministry officials participated to the occasion.