By: Richard Simon

St. George’s, Grenada: The island’s minister with responsibility for Agriculture and Lands, Fisheries and Co-operatives Hon. Adrian Thomas told the opening ceremony of a regional coconut training workshop and exhibition on Monday that coconut and its related by-products have served a multi-functional role as an important contribution to national food and nutrition security.

Recognising the significant impact of the 2004 Hurricane Ivan on the industry, he said, the government is focusing on rebuilding and expanding an industry that has played an important role in employment and income generation especially in Grenada’s rural communities, as well as a significant part of the island’s coastal erosion plan.

This weeklong activity is expected to strengthen the capacity of Coconut Farmers and Technical Officers by providing and showcasing improved and innovative strategies, addressing issues pertaining to the care and management of coconut plots and enhancing strategies for the control of pests and disease.

“We therefore will not spare any effort in our goal to attain national food and nutrition security which can only be attained when all individuals have reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable and nutritious food to lead a healthy life,” the minister told the meeting.

Quoting the Linker report which indicated that by 2026, production is anticipated to reach 5,670 metric tons, down 0.6% from 2021 following an average year-on-year decline of 0.5% since 1966, the Minister said his government’s “intention is to turn around the declining trend in coconut production.”

 According to Mr. Thomas Grenada’s coconut production almost halved because of the devastation by Hurricanes Ivan and Emily in 2004 and 2005 respectively as well as diseases and pest infestation.   

However, he said the government’s efforts will not only rehabilitate the coconut industry but also grow and expand the areas of agro-processing using the product of the coconut. He said the industry “is well integrated in the strategy and programmes of the Government,” as evidenced by the recent launch of the administration’s Agriculture Development Assistance Programme (ADAP), designed to assist farmers.

He indicated that “a wide range of measures could be taken, including, improving access to planting material, developing a quality assurance system, improving pest management, increasing research tied to new niche market products, market research, and mobilizing funding for capacity building.   

He said consideration could be given to a Grenada Coconut Festival, a two to three-day event around a coconut theme that will feature seminars and exhibitions as well as festival celebrations.

He called on farmers to “consider whether it is viable to invest in coconut production and the by-products” as well as exploring the potential for exporting products to both the regional and export markets in the USA, Canada, and European Union markets.”