Impact of non-fertiliser use on coconut known after 11 mths
Sri Lanka’s coconut production has seen a significant increase in crop but here it must be noted that the impact of application of fertiliser is felt only after 11 months, industry sources said.
Unlike paddy or vegetables, coconut is fertilised annually but the impact of the absence of fertiliser application in one or two years will contribute to yield losses by 2023.
Fertiliser is applied after May/June rain and before the October rain and the effects of this and the weather patterns together take about 11 months to yield results, Coconut Growers Association President Jayantha Samarakoon explained.
In this respect the yields increased to 3,300 million nuts in 2021 compared to 2020 and a further increase in yields is expected in 2022 to reach 3,200 million nuts; but the actual impact of the absence of fertiliser will be witnessed in 2023 when a drop is expected. But yield levels last year could have increased by 5-10 per cent adding a further 200-300 million more nuts had the required fertiliser been made available.
Inspite of the good weather if the required nutrients are not sufficiently available this expected drop is likely to occur in 2023. As a result the fertiliser is required this year to ensure a slight improvement in 2023.
Coconut requires Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium and the imported potassium available in the market is currently selling at higher rates of Rs.9000 per 50 kg bag compared to Rs.1500 at subsidised prices. Only 60 per cent of the total coconut growers apply fertilizer, but now at higher prices it is likely that only about 10-20 per cent will purchase these thereby adversely impacting on production, Mr. Samarakoon said.
If no fertiliser is made available this year then it could result in a 10 per cent drop in yields in 2023 and that could be further aggravated if the rains do not occur at the right time and that could result in a shortage of about 500 million nuts.
In Sri Lanka there are 1.1 million acres of coconut lands amounting to 70 million coconut trees while smallholders comprise 80 per cent of growers.
Meanwhile the rubber sector saw earnings reach a record US$1 billion in 2021 compared to $816 million in the previous year.
Fertiliser expenditure skyrocketed due to the change in state policy on subsidies resulting in plantation firms spending from a usual Rs.60 million per year to Rs.260 million last year, Colombo Rubber Traders’ Association Vice Chairman and Pussellawa Plantations COO Manoj Udugampola told the Business Times.
He explained that with the pesta leaf disease and the absence of the recommended pesticides they were unable to overcome its impact on the plants.
Fertiliser when applied to plants could be sustained for one or two years but the main impact would be on the younger plants since they require fertiliser in the early stages and if this is required then yields which normally occurs in six years could take up to 8-9 years to produce results.
Crop yields dropped by about 10-15 per cent due to the pesta disease, he explained adding that it is smallholders comprising 65 per cent of the total sector that had just commenced replanting and they may not have applied fertiliser. As a result the impact of this could be in the long term, it was pointed out.
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