Coconut industries undergo revitalization efforts in St. Vincent and Sri Lanka

St. Vincent and the Grenadines has commenced a technical training mission led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to revitalize its coconut sector. Held at the Orange Hill Agriculture Biotechnology Centre, the program focuses on modern production, nursery management, and pest control to update local technical knowledge using successful models from countries like Brazil and the Dominican Republic. The mission also includes training on soursop production to support regional fruit crop development.

In Sri Lanka, the government has announced the ‘Ceylon King Coconut Villages’ programme, which aims to establish 250 specialized villages to expand cultivation and boost export earnings. The initiative, a collaboration between the public and private sectors, will launch its first phase of 75 villages around International Coconut Day on September 2. The long-term plan includes rehabilitating over 221,000 existing trees through subsidies for fertilizer, mulching, and water supply, while providing new plants to growers to support poverty reduction and employment.