Coconut cultivation "facing threat from other crops"

NEW DELHI, July 6 (Bernama) – Coconut cultivation is facing intense competition from other remunerative crops, said the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community's (APCC) executive director. "In Malaysia, oil palm cultivation is on the rise and in Thailand, there has been a shift to fruit crops. In India, farmers are attracted to rubber. "As a result, there is a general decline in coconut productivity," Romulo N Arancon told The Economic Times here. He said over 50 per cent of the coconut palms in APCC member countries need replanting as they are old. Arancon said producing more value-added products from coconut to increase farmers income is one way of tackling the situation. "The Philippines and Sri Lanka have been quite successful in this, while coir products in India are a good example. Thailand has had success with sugar from coconut sap. "Encouraging inter-crops in coconut groves is another way of raising the the farmer's revenue," he added. -- BERNAMA