Some in Sri Lanka consider coconuts the “lazy man’s crop” since in most cases, farmers just watch and wait for the produce. Priority doesn’t seem to be accorded to the cultivation and adoption of best practices to generate higher yields due to increased costs, so generally their potential is not fully tapped. The potential coconut yield in Sri Lanka is 20,000 nuts per hectare, but at present farmers get a low average yield of about 6,000 nuts per hectare.
According to Professor Lasantha Weerasinghe of the department of crop science, faculty of agriculture, University of Peradeniya, one of the main concerns today is the senile plantations where “we have old palms that are less productive and people are reluctant to remove those and go for new plants due to cost factors”.
Some experts attribute the volatility in crop production over the years to climatic conditions and a drop in fertiliser application to some extent. Climatic conditions like rainfall are a key factor in coconut yields and in the last two years, Sri Lankan growers did not apply adequate fertiliser to the crop. The average nut production/annually is at 2,700-2,900 million nuts, of which 70% is consumed locally.
Prof. Weerasinghe pointed out that poor estate management, the high costs of fertiliser, transport, and machinery, and people not wanting to invest more on the plantations are key issues related to improving productivity. The reduction in the income for a unit of land area is due to the low land productivity, he further noted.
Source: sundaytimes.lk