Financial Times

Tigers want to grow coconuts in north-east
By Ruwanthi de Silva
The LTTE has offered to help the Coconut Cultivation Board (CCB) in re-planting coconut trees in the Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu areas under a government effort to revive plantations devastated by the war.

CCB chairman Lincoln Fernando, who held talks with Tiger area leaders in the north and east recently, said the LTTE was very keen on reviving coconut cultivation in these regions. "The LTTE is very happy with what CCB is doing and requested a 200,000 plant nursery and said they will plant 5000 acres of coconut under the subsidies given for re- planting in Killinochchi and Mullaithivu districts."

The CCB has started to revive the coconut cultivation in the north and east. Some 18,000 acres of coconut plantations, mainly in the north, were destroyed by the war. About 35,000 acres in the north had been under coconut before the war.

Fernando said it would take about 10 years to re-establish the lost cultivation if they manage to replant about 2,000 acres a year. "Our target is to replant about 2,000 acres a year but some areas are still mined and inaccessible," he said in an interview. The CCB plans to revive about 5000 acres with new plantings in Kilinochchi, mainly among smallholders who own one-acre or half-acre blocks.

Fernando said some very good coconut estates in Mullaithivu were still functioning.
Fernando held talks with the LTTE at their Agriculture Economic Headquarters in Kilinochchi and in Trincomalee where he met area leader Tilak as well as TULF parliamentarian R. Sambandan. Fernando said the LTTE was very hospitable, and the people in the districts are hard working and disciplined. "At present on every inch of land something is being cultivated. The LTTE has agriculture training classes for the people," Fernando said. "The beauty is that despite the many adversities, the people are very industrious."

The CCB has requested for money from the Rehabilitation Ministry to develop coconut plantations in the Jaffna peninsula. It has established nurseries with 100,000 seed nuts in the Jaffna peninsula and 70,000 seed nuts in Trincomalee.

"Over 3000 acres are to be re-planted in the peninsula; the plants are sold at Rs 40 each and a subsidy of Rs 16,000 per acre will be given," Fernando said. On his recent visit to the north Fernando held a meeting with coconut growers in Kilinochchi. "About 500 growers attended the meeting," he added. "All the subsidies that are given to the rest of the island will be given to the north and east," he said. "All plantations will be monitored by the CCB office in Jaffna."

Fernando said the fertilizer subsidy given to growers had been increased to Rs. 5,000 per tonne and a special three-kilo pack sold at a subsidised rate of Rs. 30. This was being done to cushion the impact of an increase in the price of fertiliser and encourage farmers to use fertiliser to ensure a good crop next year, instead of neglecting their trees.

Fernando said they were targeting an annual crop of three billion nuts, which he said was required to supply both domestic consumers as well as export industries. The CCB is trying to control the market with the aim of keeping the farm gate price at between Rs 8 - 10 a nut, allowing growers to make a reasonable profit, Fernando said. About 75 percent of the crop is for domestic consumption and the rest is used to make desiccated coconut, coconut oil, coconut cream and coconut powder.

"Our desiccated coconut is the best in the world," Fernando said, adding that all DC mills were now operating. Despite the shortages last year, the crop this year has come up to about 2.7 billion nuts. "I am very confident that we can reach the required target of three billion nuts next year," Fernando said. He also said it was important to find new land for coconut cultivation as about 5000 acres of coconut land is lost for housing and other industries each year.

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