Authorities grapple with surging demand, low coconut yields
Sri Lanka will find it hard to meet the increased demand for coconuts during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year due to low crop production this year. But importing coconut kernel has helped fill this gap.
Chamber of Coconut Industries President Jayantha Samarakoon told The Sunday Times Business that while March/April will not be producing the traditionally higher yields, authorities have agreed to import coconut kernel for the production of coconut cream and coconut milk powder to fill the gap created as a result of low production.
He noted that on average monthly 250,000 nuts are plucked but this year the pattern has changed and this is likely possible from the May/June/July months onwards.
After September as well a drop is expected and the industry believes that coconut production is expected to drop to around 2.6 billion nuts for this year. Coconut production in 2024 was at 2.7 billion nuts.
Coconut kernel imports that received cabinet approval will have the first stock arriving next week.
Coconut prices in the market have dropped from the previous exorbitant rates of Rs.200 and more to around Rs.140. As a result growers are concerned that they receive low prices and are faced with low yields as well.
Meanwhile, authorities have made plans to distribute the required coconut fertiliser to small farmers at a subsidised rate of Rs.4000 from March 30.
In this respect a 50 kg bag of fertiliser costing Rs.9000 will be provided at a subsidised rate of Rs.4000 and distributed to identified growers owning an extent of less than 5 acres of coconut land and more than ¼ acre. This was stated by Plantation and Community Infrastructure Minister Saman Vydiyaratna when chairing the Parliamentary working committee on plantations.
This fertiliser will be distributed through the State Fertiliser Company.
Accordingly, authorities have identified a total of 350, 000 acres of such lands that could be provided this subsidised facility.
Yields could be obtained within one and a half years of application of this fertiliser.
The government has allocated Rs.5,600 million to provide this subsidy and the state has a total of 56,700 MT of coconut fertiliser.
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