News

Decrease in fertiliser input leads to drastic drop in coconut output

Published

1 year ago

2024/12/6

Thilina Walpola

Climate change and wild animals also blamed

By Rathindra Kuruwita

A decrease in the fertiliser input has been one of the main reasons for a drop in the coconut harvest, Chairman of the Coconut Cultivation Board (CCB), Saman Dewage says,

“There was no fertiliser for about two years and now the price of fertiliser is very high,” he said.

Extreme weather events due to climate change also contributed to the decline in coconut production. “Pollination drops significantly when the temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius,” he said.

Dewage also said that a large number of coconuts are destroyed by wild animals such as monkeys and giant squirrels. Around 200 million nuts are destroyed each year by these animals, he said.

“You also need to replant coconuts to replace the old trees. According to our calculations cultivators need to replant about 10 percent of the trees each year. It has become hard to protect new plants because of porcupines, wild boars, and wild elephants. When coconut trees are young, we have to worry about red and black weevils. It has become difficult to control these pests because agricultural inputs are extremely expensive,” he said.

Dewage said Sri Lanka usually produces around three billion coconuts annually and it is highly unlikely that this number will be reached in 2025.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Coconut Development Authority (CDA), Shantha Ranathunga said that Sri Lanka earns about 700 million dollars from coconut exports annually. The export of coconuts have increased significantly over the years, he said.

“Compared to 2023, our exports have risen by about 21 percent. In 2023, we made about 700 million dollars, by the end of 2024, we expect to make 850 million dollars,” he said.

Director of the Coconut Research Institute (CRI) Dr. N. S. Aratchige said that the coconut tree is highly sensitive to the fluctuations of weather patterns. If the rainfall of a month is under 100 millimeters, it is considered a serious drought for coconut cultivation, she said. There is also no propagation if the temperature exceeds 33 degrees Celsius. “CRI has recommended several varieties and on average a cultivator has the potential to extract about 80 nuts per year. Some of our hybrid varieties, when managed under recommended conditions, yield about 130 nuts per year,” she said.

She said while the coconut cultivator can’t change weather, he or she can take steps to mitigate the drought. “We can address droughts by following techniques to retain moisture. We can reach the potential of extracting 80 to 130 nuts if we apply the right inputs and if we retain moisture in the soil.

“The world average is 5,000 nuts per hectare. We produce about 7,000 nuts per hectare. India has achieved high productivity in recent years and produces about 9,000 nuts per hectare on average. There are some states in India that extracts about 15,000 nuts per hectare. How have they done this? By using fertilizer and through irrigation systems. The Indian state provides huge subsidies for fertilizer and irrigation systems. For example, coconut farmers get free electricity if they use new irrigation methods. On the other hand, our input costs are high and we hardly use irrigation systems, we produce about 60 nuts per tree annually although we have the potential to produce 80 to 130 nuts per tree,” she said.

Aratchige also said that in most coconut producing countries the crop damage by mammalian species is low compared to Sri Lanka. However, the damage caused by the coconut mite and red and black weevils are the same as Sri Lanka, she said.

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Sun directly overhead Pomparippu, Anuradhapura, Mihinthale, Galenbindunuwewa, Agbopura and Serunuwara about 12:11 noon today (11)

Published

8 hours ago

2026/04/11

Priyan

On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 05th to 15th of April in this year.

The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (11th) are Pomparippu, Anuradhapura, Mihinthale, Galenbindunuwewa, Agbopura and Serunuwara about 12:11 noon.

News

Opposition NCM against Energy Minister defeated

Published

11 hours ago

2026/04/11

Thilina Walpola

A no-confidence motion brought by the Opposition against Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody was defeated in Parliament yesterday by a majority of 104 votes.At the end of the debate, 49 members voted in favour of the motion, while 153 voted against it.

The motion, submitted to the Speaker on 19 March, was signed by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, SJB MPs, and other Opposition members.

It accused Minister Jayakody of failing to ensure the procurement of adequate and quality coal for the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant in Norochcholai, alleging that such negligence amounted to a breach of ministerial responsibility over a critical national energy asset.

The motion also cited ongoing legal proceedings against the Minister, noting that he has been indicted by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and produced before the Colombo High Court under Section 70 of the Bribery Act, in connection with alleged acts of corruption during his tenure as Procurement Manager of the Ceylon Fertiliser Company Limited.

The motion read: Vote of No Confidence against Kumara Jayakody, Minister of Energy,— Whereas the Provision in Section 6 of the Part III of the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament which states that: “The Members shall on all occasions act in accordance with the public trust entrusted with them and shall always behave with probity and integrity, including the use by them of any public resources.” has been violated; And whereas the following rules of conduct set out in Section 9 of the Part V of the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament have prima facie been breached, namely:- “(a) to be conscience; (c) to act so as to merit the trust and respect of the people; (e) to hold themselves accountable for the conduct and duties for which they are responsible;” And whereas it is observed that the Minister has failed, in his capacity as a Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers, to discharge the fundamental duties incumbent upon him in accordance with Article 28 of the Constitution;

And whereas it is established that the Minister of Energy has failed to discharge his primary duty of ensuring the procurement of adequate and good quality coal for the Norochcholai Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant;

And whereas such gross negligence in overseeing a critical national energy asset constitutes a fundamental breach of ministerial responsibility;

And whereas the Minister of Energy has failed to carry out the subjects and functions vested in him by the Notification of Gazette Extraordinary No. 2412/08 of 25th November 2024 of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, including taking necessary steps to reduce the losses at the institutional management level and technical damages that occur to the electricity generation and distribution system and reduction of costs for generating electricity and removal of uncertainties during generation;

And whereas the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption has filed formal indictments before the Colombo High Court against the incumbent Minister of Energy under Section 70 of the Bribery Act (Chapter 26) for the offence of “corruption” in connection with acts of corruption allegedly committed while he was serving as the Procurement Manager of the Lanka Fertilizer Company;

And whereas, in light of the foregoing, the Minister of Energy has irretrievably forfeited the confidence of Parliament and the people of Sri Lanka by causing losses to public finances, endangering national energy security, corruptly mishandling the procurement process, being subjected to active judicial proceedings for the offence of “corruption”, and betraying the Government’s own “anti-corruption mandate”, and his continued tenure as the Minister of Energy is contrary to the public interest, the rule of law, and the principles of good governance;

That this Parliament resolves that it has no confidence in the competence of Kumara Jayakody, Minister of Energy to function as a Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers any longer.”

by Saman Indrajith

News

Chinese Ambassador assures Lanka China will not allow a fuel crisis to develop here

Published

11 hours ago

2026/04/11

Thilina Walpola

Qi Zhenhong

Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong yesterday assured that China would not allow a fuel crisis to arise in Sri Lanka, under any circumstances, reaffirming Beijing’s continued support to the country.

The Ambassador made these remarks addressing the media after attending a dry ration distribution programme for 350 low-income families at Sri Chandananda Buddhist College, at Asgiriya, in Kandy.

Highlighting the longstanding ties between the two countries, Ambassador Qi said China has consistently stood by Sri Lanka and remains ready to extend assistance whenever required.

Amid concerns over global energy disruptions, stemming from the ongoing Middle East conflict, he noted that several countries are already facing difficulties, but stressed that China is prepared to support Sri Lanka at any time.

He said that any potential fuel shortage in Sri Lanka could be managed with the involvement of China’s Sinopec.

Reiterating Beijing’s commitment to Sri Lanka’s economic recovery and development, the Envoy also expressed hope that the current ceasefire in the Middle East would hold, while assuring that China stands ready to respond to any future developments and assist Sri Lanka as needed.

By SK Samaranayake