Opinion

Coconut – the Tree of Life

Published

5 years ago

2020/10/26

The article by “Nan” in the Sunday Island makes mention of this remarkable tree whose extent in our country covers an area of roughly the combined extents under tea and rubber. Poverty has been defined as an inability to utilize the resources available. In this narrow sense, coconut certainly fits. But in terms of potential and inherent value (not merely nutritional), but constructional, decorative, cultural and traditional, it far outstrips the other two main crops. I once encountered the fascinating W. Dahanayake (MP) at a “Coffee Bar”, and he made an interesting remark that Sri Lanka should focus attention and effort on just five crops – Paddy, Sugarcane, Pasture, Jak and Coconut. I select a few fascinating points in support of such a view.

It is a pity that coconut is regarded merely as an Oil Crop. So, it finds itself compared with Oil Palm, Soya, Sunflower, Groundnut, Flax, etc. In this sense it is not at the top of the league. (Witness the ongoing discourse on a decision to limit Oil Palm acreage), Among its documented 300 – odd uses, coconut out-performs any competitor, if one accounts its total contribution to economic, traditional and cultural uses. Of a (fluctuating) annual near 3,000 million nuts, over 60% is consumed locally.

The balance is exported as Desiccated coconut, oil, fibre, charcoal, fresh nuts, a limited export of young nuts (Kurumba), brushes and ornaments. There remains considerable scope for value-added products as well. Quality improvement, product diversification and innovation offer enormous scope. It will take volumes to deal anywhere near completely, with the many uses. I will, therefore, confine myself to identifying some areas where the pay-offs would be high.

(i) At a recommended spacing of 9-10 metres, there is considerable scope for intercropping with pasture for cattle, supplemented with poonac from oil mills and for fuel wood (e,g Glyricidia ) for dendro-thermal energy generation.

(ii) The trunks of old trees are used in construction (rafters, structural members), furniture and handicrafts. It excels as material for chipboard. The fronds (unfurl at about one per month) are traditionally used for roof thatch and fencing.

(iii) Sap tapped from emerging inflorescence provides a sweet sap (about 10-14% sugar) of superlative taste (now canned) treacle and jaggery. When fermented – as toddy and vinegar, and when distilled, as arrack. Normal toddy has around 4-6% alcohol. Preliminary studies on selecting yeasts showed isolates yielding up to 10% alcohol.

(iv) “Virgin Coconut oil” achieves high quality and commands premium value.

(v) Traditional manual squeezing of grated coconut leaves behind about 30%waste) of the fat, all of the protein and fibre. Coconut paste (whole kernel gratings) would theoretically enhance fat yield by 30% (or effectively increasing nut yield by a third). Interestingly, coconut milk is sufficiently close to the composition of cows’ milk to permit substitution in beverages such as tea, coffee and cocoa. This would interest Vegans.

(vi) Just as the inflorescences unfurl, there is exuded a drop or two of a sweet nectar, and the flowers provide an abundance of pollen. This suggests that bee-keeping under coconut should be expanded.

(vii) Young coconut water (and waste water from D.C mills) is canned and exported by a few enterprises.

(viii) Coconut ropes have exceptional resistance to sun and sea-water. I understand that coconut cordage is well suited for marine moorings. There is considerable scope for ropeways, as used by our tappers. Proper cultivation of dates, requires up to 10 climbs for a season. The residual leaf bases are a huge inconvenience and therefore expensive. Male and female palms are separate, and need to be hand-pollinated. Selected male palms are interspersed with females, as the quality of the fruit depends much upon the pollen parent.

(ix) During the fruiting season (February to August) desert winds bring massive amount of dust. Assiduous housewives need to sweep their homes several times per day. This they do with a bundle of discarded fruit bunch inflorescences (comparable to the “Ilapotha” of our rural homes), and as expected, this is highly inefficient. A huge and lucrative market exists for our entrepreneurs to provide good brooms (the humble ‘Kossa’ and “Ilapotha”).

(x) Fibre dust from factories has great potential (if not already met) for “Coco-Peat” as a horticultural growth medium – as a potting compost and to aid in soil improvement and amelioration.

Dr UPATISSA PETHIYAGODA

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Opinion

Those who play at bowls must look out for rubbers

Published

11 hours ago

2026/01/27

Sahan Weerasooriya

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake should listen at least to the views of the Mothers’ Front on proposed educational reforms.

I was listening to the apolitical views expressed by the mothers’ front criticising the proposed educational reforms of the government and I found that their views were addressing some of the core questionable issues relevant to the schoolchildren, and their parents, too.

They were critical of the way the educational reforms were formulated. The absence of any consultation with the stakeholders or any accredited professional organisation about the terms and the scope of education was one of the key criticisms of the Mothers’ Front and it is critically important to comprehend the validity of their opposition to the proposed reforms. Further, the proposals do include ideas and designs borrowed from some of the foreign countries which they are now re-evaluating in view of the various shortcomings which they themselves have encountered. On the subject, History, it is indeed unfortunate that it has been included as an optional, whereas in many developed countries it is a compulsory subject; further, in the module the subject is practically limited to pre-historic periods whereas Sri Lanka can proudly claim a longer recorded history which is important to be studied for the students to understand what happened in the past and comprehend the present.

Another important criticism of the Mothers’ Front was the attempted promotion of sexuality in place of sex education. Further there is a visible effort to promote trans-gender concepts as an example when considering the module on family unit which is drawn with two males and a child and two females and a child which are nor representative of Sri Lankan family unit.

Ranjith Soysa

Opinion

Seeds of discord

Published

11 hours ago

2026/01/27

Sahan Weerasooriya

When the LTTE massacred people, mostly Sinhalese Buddhists, government leaders never claimed that the Tamil community, which the LTTE claimed to represent, was driven by hatred. That restraint mattered. That is why it was outrageous to hear President Anura Kumara Dissanayake tell Tamils that Buddhists visiting the North to worship were doing so out of spite. If reports are accurate, the President also declared that we needed a prosperous nation free of racism and united in spirit. Yet, in the same breath he sowed seeds of division recklessly.

Had he spoken in Tamil or English, some might have dismissed it as a slip of the tongue. But in Sinhala, the words carried unmistakable intent. Who could have expected such divisive rhetoric to come from the head of a nation now enjoying fragile coexistence, after enduring a 30‑year war and two insurrections that devastated the economy?

A Ratnayake

Opinion

Where are we heading?

Published

11 hours ago

2026/01/27

Sahan Weerasooriya

The Island editorial, dated 22 January, 2026, under the title ‘Conspiracy to subvert constitutional order,’ is an eye-opener to those who supported the so-called Äragalaya in July 2022 and those who voted to bring the current regime into power with various positive expectations, including ‘ a system change’. ( https://island.lk/conspiracy-to-subvert-constitutional-order/ )

The editorial highlighted, with irrefutable evidence, how a foreign diplomat and a group of Sri Lankans, consisting of some religious leaders (a Buddhist monk, some Catholic priests) and a trade unionist, made a blatantly illegal bid to pressure the then Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to take over the executive presidency in violation of the Constitution. The intention of the intimidator tactics was said to be to create in Sri Lanka a situation similar to that in Libya.

The editorial also mentioned how Minister K.D. Lal Kantha and his JVP attempted to lead the Aragalaya protestors to capture Parliament, but without success. Addressing a public rally, under the title ‘Let’s read Lenin’, a few days ago, Minister Lal Kantha has revealed that their planning was to follow what Lenin had said and done during the Russian revolution. Minister Lal Kantha said: “We do not have the power of the State although we managed to obtain the power of the Government. Hence, we are now engaged in the struggle to win the power of the State’’.

In a democratic society, there is a need to ensure maintaining Law and Order without any state interference. It looks like the intention of the Minister is to bring the Police, Armed Forces and the Judiciary, including all the State Services, under direct control of the ruling party, by filling those positions with JVP loyalists to suppress the opponents of the government.

There is also an attempt by the JVP-led forces to remove the Attorney General by making unsubstantiated allegations against him. As per a latest news item in The Island, under the title “Opposition slams sitting HC judge’s appointment as Justice Ministry additional Secretary”, is alleging President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of trying to control the judiciary by appointing a sitting High Court judge as Additional Secretary to the Justice and National Integration Ministry. (https://island.lk/opposition-slams-sitting-hc-judges-appointment-as-justice-ministry-additional-secretary/)

On the other hand, the ruling party is trying to appoint one of their cronies as Auditor General, possibly, to cover up a number of questionable deals made during the year they ruled and to ensure achieving the so-called power of the State.

Unless the people, especially those who naively dreamt of ‘a system change’, have a clear understanding of the ultimate goal and motives of the ongoing changes and take appropriate actions to protect their own democratic rights, they will be left with no other alternative but to live under a repressive government.

Sangadasa Akurugoda