Basic data
- Area Under Coconuts: 60,000 ha
- Farming Community & Rural Dweller Depend on Coconuts: 120,000
- Copra production : in 2016, 10000 to 12000 tons (40000 tons in 1960 )
- Area under senile palms: 30%
- About 30% of the coconuts are not collected.(nuts remain on the ground)
- Nut to Copra: 6 nuts gives 1kg Copra, so about 167 grammes of copra per nut
Reasons for not collecting:
- No use of plant cover, very hard work of weeding fast growing wild species
- Natural calamities and poor management conditions
- Shifting to more lucrative crops
- Difficulties in transport
- Manpower issues
- Fluctuating prices
Harvest use, estimation as of 2017
• 35% Household consumption
• 35% Copra Production
• 30% Not harvested /picked
• 35% Household consumption
• 35% Copra Production
• 30% Not harvested /picked
Question: no estimation for exportation of whole coconut, virgin coconut oil and other product than copra?
Present strategy (as of 2017)
- A priority area, mainly under the extension Division
- Annual target - 500 to 1200 hectares.
- Mostly talls will be used
- Hybrid production stopped in 2003- now being revived - TRC
- Rotuma Tall – major population used now (for what? as parent of hybrid or as pure variety?
- Dwarfs targeted in the Western areas for tender nut market
- Planting and after care - follow up
