The Department of Agriculture is encouraging the people of Fiji to join in the celebration of National Coconut Day by planting a coconut seedling, drink a green coconut (bu), eat a dish with a coconut ingredient or buy a coconut product this Friday (September 2).
The National Coconut Day celebrations will be held at Savusavu on Friday and will be attended by farmers, stakeholders and government representatives.
Agriculture permanent secretary, Colonel Mason Smith said, Fiji being a member of the Asia Pacific Coconut Community agreed to hold coconut day celebrations on or around September 2nd each year.
“This year we are trying to revitalise the celebrations and acknowledge the fact that the coconut industry has played a major role in the socio-economic development of the North,” said Mr Smith.
“We believe it is the tree of life and we are hoping the small celebrations in Savusavu will kick-start the revitalization of the coconut industry.”
The celebrations will have a number of displays by the Department of Agriculture, Copra Millers of Fiji and other stakeholders in the industry on the diversification programe undertaken by the coconut industry.
“In addition, we will also have a number of competitions throughout the day and we hope that people from all over Cakaudrove will attend and join in the celebrations,” he added.
“We are involving our colleagues from as far as Rabi, Kioa, and a number of our stakeholders from Taveuni will also be present in Savusavu.
“There are a lot of challenges facing the coconut industry and that is why we need to speed up planting and replanting program.”
“We have to deal with the issue of pests and diseases, the rhinoceros beetle, and the coconut stick insect and we have to very quickly diversify the coconut industry into more value added products such as virgin coconut oil, desiccated coconut and activated carbon.”
Mr Smith said that all these were by products with much more value than crude coconut oil or copra.
“Basically we need to take the industry back to where it was in the 1960s and early 70s when most northern farmers depended on the coconut industry,” the permanent secretary said.
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