Deo: Revival of copra industry affected by yaqona
THE revival of the copra industry in the North has been affected by yaqona because farmers choose to concentrate on the cash crop, says Copra Millers Fiji Ltd manager John Deo.
Mr Deo said there had been a 20 per cent decrease in copra production over the past 10 years because of yaqona farming.
He said this was equivalent to a decrease in 500 tonnes of copra production.
“Now that farmers have a high value product in yaqona farming, they choose to focus on it rather than copra production, something that has sustained many estates and families in the North over the past centuries,” he said.
“This has affected copra productivity which is evident in the low numbers of coconuts received at the mill over the years,” he said.
“We cannot only say that yaqona farming has had a single-handedly effect on copra production in Savusavu because there are other factors like the tropical cyclones that we have had in the past years.
“Another factor is the amount of senile trees that exist among coconut farms around the country which tend to produce less coconuts compared to the trees productivity in their prime.”
Mr Deo said in 2016 and 2017, Government had increased the minimum copra price from $780 to $1000 per tonne, to guarantee coconut farmers good return and to also regenerate farmers interest back to coconut.
Meanwhile, the total whole nut production in the country is estimated at 41 million nuts per year.