Rubber, tea and cinnamon on blight-hit coconut lands

by L.S.Ananda Wedaarachchi

Owners of blight-hit coconut lands are willing to cultivate rubber, tea, and cinnamon on their lands after uprooting the diseased coconut trees, said Coconut Cultivation Board (CCB) Chairman Sarath Keerthiratna.

He said that two Australian companies would also assist these landowners and provide them hy-brid cows and set up dairy farms in these areas.

The Chairman said that the CCB had already held discussions with Australian High Commission officials regarding the offer of Australian companies.

The CCB Chairman said that the survey on blight-hit coconut palms conducted on the instructions of Plantations Minister Mahinda Samarasingha would be completed before July 15. The decision to introduce the dairy industry and new cultivations to the affected areas will be made depending on the willingness of the people in the area, he said.