Business

Coconut industry continues to strive

September 14, 2022 12:30 pm

[Photo Source: Supplied]

In Fiji, around 120,000 of the rural population depend on the coconut industry as their main source of food, income, and livelihood.

This was highlighted by the Permanent Secretary for Agriculture Vinesh Kumar while commemorating the 2022 World Coconut Day in Bureiwai, Ra yesterday.

He says such an event creates awareness of the importance and benefits of coconuts and their products.

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As part of their celebration, 100 trees were planted in Matainananu Village while ten villages in the province of Ra pledged to plant 1,000 seedlings each over the next six months.

“More of our coconut plants I believe was destroyed during TC Winston and this will be replanted and communities are able to again replace those senile plants and again we do believe that coconut plays a vital role no matter where we are is a tree of life.”

He also highlighted that copra remains the most traded coconut commodity in Fiji as around $6 million worth of coconut products was exported which includes virgin coconut oil, copra, and oil cake.

This year, Agriculture Ministry has allocated $350,000 under the Coconut Farming Program for the establishment of 1,000 hectares of coconut plantation across the coconut growing areas in Fiji.