TREE OF LIFE
Sri Lanka is one of the most popular countries, leading the coconut production market with a significant market share, achieved through the supply of Desiccated Coconut (DC) and Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO)
The Ceylon coconut industry is governed by the Coconut Development Act No 46 of 1971 and is monitored by the Coconut Research Board, the Coconut Cultivation Board (CCB) and the Coconut Development Authority (CDA).
In addition, the coconut industry is protected by the Plant Protection Ordinance (1981), Plant Protection Act No 35 (1999) and the Coconut Land Fragmentation Control Act No. 20 (2005)
Policies on the coconut sector
Around 95% of the cultivation in Sri Lanka is owned mainly by the private sector and they operate under the regulations of the Sri Lankan government. This is because coconut is considered as a major food ingredient in Sri Lankan diets. It is also a major plantation crop that contributes to foreign exchange earnings. Therefore, it is necessary that the country adopts quarantine regulations and land use regulations to assure food security, employment and the earnings of the people.
The Coconut Development Act provides information on the distribution of coconut land and land use policy, coconut land management and subsidy policy, coconut plant quarantine policy, coconut pricing policy, and the market mechanism which governs the policies which are relevant to the coconut.
According to the Plant Protection Ordinance No. 165/2, November 1981, no plant shall be imported into Sri Lanka, except under the authority and in accordance with the conditions of a Plant Importation Permits issued by the Director General, Department of Agriculture.
Current production in the country varies from 2,500 to 3,000 million nuts. The coconut sector strategic development plan focuses mainly on increasing yields to achieve a target of 3,600 million nuts/year. This quantity is necessary to satisfy the demand for both domestic consumption and the processing industry.
The strategic plan to increase yields includes measures such as, climate change mitigation, soil fertility enhancement, reducing land fragmentation, replanting senile plantations, managing pest and diseases and minimising wastage in the household use of coconut.
25% of the total lands in Sri Lanka is used for the coconut farming. Sri Lanka is the second largest land user for coconut.
