Coconut prices and oil palm cultivation
The coconut growers were scared of oil palm because the cost of palm oil is 50 percent less than coconut oil.
So they brought up so many unfair allegations against palm oil when India is planting it on two million hectares, considering the economic and environmental benefits of palm oil.
Despite the falling performances, the coconut growers did not improve their productivity and the nuts per palm per year remain at 48. This is why the Sri Lankan coconut oil is the most expensive coconut oil in the world. The prices can be checked on the web.
Because of the adulteration of coconut oil with palm oil, merely to bring down the cost of coconut oil, most consumers are now making coconut oil at home. Both coconuts and oil palm are from the same class in terms of plant classification taught in botany. The successive governments have been planting coconut palms three to four million per year for more than 20 years now, despite the national production remaining static for the same period and even today. Where has the national resources planning gone? Actually, were those palms being planted securely? Who is responsible for such a calamity?
Sadly agriculture census in Sri Lanka is taken once in 10 years. However, such census can be taken within a day using satellite images and artificial intelligence. This is a timely need even to monitor forest cover and any other large-scale developments.
After all, we have more than 14,000 ‘grama niladari’ divisions and agriculture officers roaming around the country.
Are they creating tangible value or should we strengthen them just like we did to PHIS recently?
What happened to those millions of coconut palms supposed to have planted is another study/investigation with the sole objective of improving our systems, instead of penalising wrongdoers.
Truth has to triumph until Buddhism lasts on this land. All must understand why other countries are planting oil palm when they too can plant coconuts. Not all climates suit coconut and oil palm is four times productive than coconut.
If all withdraw the wrong and venomous adversarial publicity consciously launched against oil palm, then there are 30,000 and more smallholders to take up to planting of oil palm in addition to 20,000 hectares allocated to the Regional Plantation Companies by the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The Plantation Ministry must maintain the same stand they took from the beginning on oil palm and fought against the fake Central Environmental Authority (CEA) report that condemned oil palm, due to a personal agenda of a rejected politician. The ministry should not succumb to political pressure but earn respect of the taxpaying citizens of the country, by sticking to the truth.
Dr. Parakrana Waydyanatha and many more scientists are willing to meet President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, if such an opportunity is available.
Wherever oil palm has been planted, the annual rainfalls too have improved. It has to happen as per the water cycle we learnt at school. This is where the educational level of the politicians comes handy. Like Ali Shabri said in his maiden speech, we don’t want politicians who lead mobs but the truth.
Again I must state that the truth should win for the people of this blessed country. Let’s do justice by this golden crop like it had helped many large countries.