Schoolchildren to help grow coconut saplings

by Ananda KANNANGARA

The `One Coconut Sapling in each Home Garden’ program, which was initiated by the Coconut Development and the Janatha Estates Development Board Ministry (CDJEDB) to uplift the standard of the coconut industry will be launched shortly with the assistance of schoolchildren of coconut growing regions in the country.

The objective of the program is to inculcate in the younger generation the importance of planting coconut saplings in their home- gardens to ease the prevailing shortage of coconuts.

CDJEDB Minister Jagath Pushpakumara told the Sunday Observer that the prices of coconuts had gone up due to the climatic changes in the country and the heavy rains and floods that destroyed coconut plantations in the main coconut producing areas. “Schoolchildren are the best resource to improve coconut cultivation and we will launch this novel program with the assistance of the Education Ministry as a school curricular activity.

“We hope to encourage all schoolchildren who have small home-gardens to plant at least one coconut sapling under the program.”

The Minister said that Local Government authorities, Gramaseva Niladaris, Samurdi beneficiaries, Ranaviru families and members of village Civil Defence committees should keep a close tab on partitioned coconut lands and neglected coconut lands in their areas.

He said steps would be taken to grant a fertiliser subsidy next year for large, small and medium scale coconut growers. A principal of a Southern school, B.Y. Samarakoon who commended this program recently said that everybody is aware that our traditional exports were tea, rubber and coconut and added that Sri Lanka could, meet its needs since the country has enough lands and the natural climate is ideal for coconut cultivation. Schoolchildren are the best resource to improve coconut cultivation and we will launch this novel program with the assistance of the Education Ministry as a school curricular activity.