‘Kapruka’ to increase coconut production

Ishara MUDUGAMUWA

The Coconut Development and Janatha Estate Development Ministry has commenced the Kapruka Purawara programme with the objective of producing more job opportunities and enhance the income for Samurdhi beneficiary families by Rs 5,000, said Coconut Development and Janatha Estate Development Minister Jagath Pushpakumara participating in the launching ceremony of the Kapruka Purawara programme in Homagama recently.

The ministry also hopes to increase coconut production and develop coconut related industries through the Kapruka Purawara programme. The ministry has established 22 Kapruka Purawara societies in 21 districts and plans to establish 150 Kapruka Purawaras within five years. The government’s target is to increase annual coconut production up to 4,000 million by 2016 which presently remain at 2,400-2,700 million, he said.

The minister also said there are around one million acres of coconut cultivable land in the country but only 40 trees are cultivated per acre. “It is necessary to increase the number of trees up to 64 per acre as well as increase the productivity of the land by cultivating additional crops. Therefore the ministry plans to cultivate four million trees by the end of this year,” Pushpakumara said.