Find remedies or else no coconuts by 2010

by Surekha Galagoda

The Coconut Growers Association of Sri Lanka(CGA) warns that there won't be coconuts even for domestic consumption by 2010 unless suitable remedies are found to arrest the declining trend in the national production of coconuts.

President CGA, Nimal Samarakkody said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has a vision and wants to develop the coconut industry.

He said that all stakeholders should get together and find an appropriate solution rather than fixing problems as and when they occur such as adjusting the cess of the palm oil and imposing a cess on fresh nut exports when coconut prices increase.

Samarakkody said that the Ministry of Plantation Industry has formulated the policy framework while the Ministry of Coconut Development appointed a committee to re-examine the Coconut Development Act and the findings are now available.

By linking the Policy framework and the amendments to the Coconut Development Act the desired result of increasing coconut production from 2.5 billion nuts to 3.5 billion utilising the same extent of land can be achieved.

He said that compared to tea and rubber lands the coconut growing lands are barren because every part of the tree is used. Therefore fertilising the lands are essential but the price of urea has gone up from Rs. 24,000-57,000 a ton which has resulted in a 80% drop in the usage of fertiliser compared to last year according to fertiliser importers.

Among the solutions proposed by the CGA in the short term are encouraging the use of inorganic fertiliser as well as the use of soil and moisture preservation techniques.

In the medium term introduce drought resistant and disease resistant varieties of coconuts and increase the number of coconut trees per acre. At present there are only 30 trees per acre whereas it should be 65 trees per acre.

In addition there should be a coordinated plan for the coconut triangle to induce people to remain in the industry while new areas that are suitable for coconut cultivation should be explored to induce people to grow coconuts.

Samarakkody said that rather than coming up with anti fragmentation laws people should be educated on a systematic cultivation to stop people from moving away from this industry. At present the income from coconuts is next to nothing and therefore people are felling coconut trees and moving away from the industry which is the second staple food in the country.

The CGA has taken steps to hold a series of workshops in the provinces to educate the growers and the public, meet policy makers and advise them on the correct steps to be taken and circulate a newsletter.

Already a three-year plan has been initiated to help growers to shift to organic manure from inorganic fertiliser. It is expected that within three years growers will use 60% of organic manure thereby reducing their costs on fertiliser.

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