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| Sunday, 27 February 2005 |
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Coconut mite engulfs industry by Elmo Leonard Foreign expertise is long overdue to stop the spread of the mica coconut mite, now rapidly gaining momentum, having engulfed 20 per cent of coconut plantations, the Sri Lanka Coconut Growers' Association (CGA) said. Sri Lanka's exports of coconut products for 2004 was Rs 17.3 billion (Rs 96 to a dollar) and Rs 13.7 billion for 2003. The Coconut Research Institute, in Lunuwila (CRI's) advice to apply burned engine oil to the green coconut fruit to contain the mite is effective, but not practical in large plantations, CGA president, Ranjith Dias said. The ideal remedy would be the introduction of a biological predator to destroy the mite as was the case when the "coconut pest" threatened coconut plantations in the 1970s, the trade said. The coconut mite is one of three contributory factors for the shortfall of coconuts by 30 to 40 percent during December 2004, January and February, in comparison to the corresponding months of the previous years. The coconut mite has now spread through the coconut belt of Puttalam, Chilaw, Marawila, Kuliyapitiya, Kurunegala, and in the Gampaha district in Giriulla and Divulapitiya. The coconut mite enters the green coconut and feeds on its moisture, resulting in a reduction of kernel in the coconut. The other reasons for the current shortfall of coconuts was the lack of rainfall during the mid-part of 2004 and a lack of fertiliser application by coconut growers. By end-March the crop of coconuts entering the market would increase to facilitate a drop in the retail price to Rs. 20 per nut, produce broker, IDB Fernando said. In Kelaniya in the Gampaha district a curry-nut is between Rs. 24 and Rs. 26. In Grandpass, where wholesaling is concentrated, coconuts are retailed at Rs. 20 to 24 per nut. In areas where weekly fairs are held in the suburbs of Colombo, such as Maharagama and Delkanda, a curry-nut is Rs. 23. The shortfall in coconut had resulted in the meagre quantity of 800 tonnes of desiccated coconut being produced during January, compared to around 2,000 tonnes harvested during the lean months of January to March in other years, according to the Coconut Development Authority. The local price of desiccated coconut last week stood at Rs. 125 per kilo, rendering it uncompetitive for export. The international market for a tonne of desiccated coconut is around $300 less than the price of desiccated coconut produced in Sri Lanka, Fernando said. With Sri Lanka out of the export arena, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam are the leading contenders. Year 2005 augurs well for coconut production with rainfall continuous during the second half of 2004 running into the usually dry months of January and February. The Coconut Cultivation Board, CRI and CDA have put down the anticipated coconut harvest for this year at 2.9 billion nuts. This figure will change in June-July depending on weather conditions and other factors. In good times, the coconut harvest reaches 3.2 billion nuts, the figure achieved in 2001. The CGA has appealed to the authorities to reduce the cost of fertiliser so that it would be affordable to the smallholder and those who are totally dependant on coconut cultivation. They point out that the current price of fertiliser is Rs. 24,000 per tonne, sans subsidiary, compared to Rs. 19,000 per tonne in 2003. While a Rs. 5,000 subsidiary was offered to growers per tonne, making the actual price Rs. 14,000 per tonne, the current price is Rs. 24,000 per tonne, sans subsidiary. The 2004 price of 22,000 per tonne, without subsidiary has added to the reduced yield of coconuts, CGA members said. Answering questions coconut growers said that rearing cattle on coconut plantations for the purpose of manure as in past decades has become impractical due to looming cattle theft. "Moreover, the engaging of a simple hydraulic system, now available, allows cattle to be hauled into lorries," Dias said. Meanwhile, the authorities have decided on a cess of Rs. 2 per kilo on imports of vegetable oil into the country and Rs. 400 million (Rs. 100 to a US dollar) is expected to be collected during 2005. In addition Rs. 150 million is expected to be collected from cess from the export of coconut products. That money is expected to be used by the Coconut Cultivation Board to subsidise the coconut growing industry. The CGA membership has asked for the reintroduction of the fertiliser subsidy from May this year. |
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