At the Lomaiviti Provincial Council meeting in Suva yesterday, major shipping operator, George Goundar, told attendees how 1000 bags of coconuts used to be shipped out of the Lomaiviti Group to the Capital City.
At the Lomaiviti Provincial Council meeting in Suva yesterday, major shipping operator, George Goundar, told attendees how 1000 bags of coconuts used to be shipped out of the Lomaiviti Group to the Capital City.
These days less than one-tenth of that is now being shipped from the islands in one shipment alone. And ironically, more coconuts are being shipped from the mainland to the islands.
Lomaiviti is not alone. It is evident in many other islands. Villagers depend on the industry for sustenance rather than for commercial gains.
There are not many coconut farms, let alone, coconuts to harvest from islands these days.
Had there been strategic plans for this industry some 20 to 30 years to mandate communities, especially in the islands to have coconut farms, perhaps this reality would have been different.
In several reports, the Bainimarama government had major plans to revive the industry into its former glory.
It was a key priority for the Ministry of Agriculture at the time.
The Year of the Coconut was observed in 2021.
The initiative was if one wished to plant coconuts, they could place their expressions of interest and Government would assist in the start-up.
What now of that initiative?
Fiji has vast land for this initiative to really take off.
With the input of government, relevant stakeholders and of course farmers who are serious about reviving this industry can work together to realise it.
As well as having many beneficial uses, replanting of young coconut trees will contribute to climate mitigation.
Young coconut trees will reduce carbon dioxide from the area compared to old coconut trees, a scholar from the Fiji National University said in April.
Maika Tabukovu said: “The land is available and reviving the industry should have a major contribution to the GDP, this will reduce or stop the migration of rural population to urban areas.
“Reviving the coconut industry is the way forward for Fijis’ economy as it did in the past as one of the major foreign earnings,” he said.
Story By: Ranoba Baoa
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