A number of projects to popularise coconut cultivation has been launched countrywide with a target of 4,000 million nuts by 2025, senior lecturer of the Peradeniya University and Chairman of the Coconut Cultivation Board (CCB) A.V.K.Madhavi Herath said at a recent media briefing organised to mark the 50th anniversary of the CCB.
She said the country recorded the highest harvest of 3,382.9 million nuts in 2021. It was estimated that the country would have earned around 834 million dollars through coconut exports.
She said the CCB owns about 3,000 acres of coconut lands. About 560 nurseries of coconut seedlings are now set up to provide quality seedlings to small- scale coconut landowners this year.
More subsidies and free manure would be made available to those interested in growing coconuts in home gardens this year. Accordingly, about 1.5 million quality coconut seedlings would be made available to coconut landowners this year to increase the yield. However, the lands belonging to the CCB are expected to be given to the people on a short- term concessionary lease scheme to cultivate food crops during the next six months.
A new project to grow coconuts on a large scale covering almost all provinces including the North and East is now in process. A sum of Rs.62,000 million would be invested to promote coconut cultivation in the country during the year, she said.