Coconut industry wants fertiliser or face imminent collapse
Mr. Jayantha Samarakoon and Prof. Deepal Mathew
Sri Lanka’s main traditional export, coconut is facing imminent collapse if the much needed fertiliser is not made available these two years to provide the plant its required timely application. If this does not happen by 2025 Sri Lanka will have to import coconuts.
“Next year is the critical year”and after that there is no point in giving fertiliser, Colombo University Emeritus Prof. of Bio Chemistry Deepal Mathew who is also an Executive Member of the Coconut Growers Association said in an interview with the Business Times.
With no fertiliser the coconut estates in Sri Lanka will result in forestation as the coconut plant requires a period of 2-3 years to produce yields after application of fertiliser.
The first signs are set to be evident in 2023 when a crop drop of about 50 per cent is expected since fertiliser has not been applied in the past year, he complained. In 3-5 years the crop will start tapering then there is no way back.
And once the crop declines it will not be possible to recover, he noted adding that estates will have to resort to re-planting and that will take seven years.
According to studies carried out by the Coconut Research Institute (CRI) it has been found that when fertiliser is applied on fertile soil the number of nuts obtained would be 105 but this amount can reduce to 48 when no fertiliser is applied.
There are two seasons to apply fertiliser in a year for coconut, which is, end of April, May and June and the second season in October, November and December, Prof. Mathew said.
At least 80, 000 MT of fertiliser is required annually for the coconut sector and with no fertiliser available in the market the growers are facing a crisis as the authorities are not interested in discussing this matter with them.
Moreover, fertiliser prices are also increasing, and as a result the cost of production is also likely to increase thereby causing an eventual increase in the price of a nut in the local market, Prof. Mathew pointed out.
The Rs.13,000 bag of fertiliser can increase upto Rs.18,000. On average a tree would produce about 50 nuts per year giving an income of Rs.2500 when the price of a nut is sold at Rs.50.
At present growers are looking at alternatives as some are selling land for residential properties and cutting down coconut trees, he noted.
In addition, he pointed out those solely dependent on coconut are finding it difficult so they are selling the trees.
Prof. Mathew observed that last year the authorities said they would send them the required fertiliser but this was not made available to the estates.
“This year also there is no fertiliser and for the past five months we have been trying to get an appointment with the Minister and this too has not yielded results,” he said.
Annually, agriculture land is fragmented for residential purposes, and about 60 per cent of coconut lands are taken up, Coconut Growers Association President Jayantha Samarakoon said.
At present about 75 per cent of the coconut lands with an extent of five acres and below is spread among one million growers who are mainly smallholders.
The yield in 2022 was 3.2 billion nuts and it is expected that if fertiliser is not provided now the crop will fail and by 2025 Sri Lanka will be compelled to import coconuts even for domestic consumption.
Coconut exports have grown in 2020 to generate an income of US$664 million and in 2021 it increased by a further 30 increase to increase earnings to $850 million.
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