Investments in coconut industry yield growth

More than $1.2 billion has been invested in Guyana’s coconut sub-sector over the past four years, as part of an aggressive push by the government under the National Coconut Decentralisation Programme (NCDP) to expand the industry and boost exports.

Driven by this investment, coconut has become the third-highest income earner in the agriculture sector, reflecting rising demand for coconuts and their by-products at local, regional, and international levels, the Department of Public Information (DPI) reported.

The NCDP began with the commissioning of a $1.1 million coconut nursery at Kairuni along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway in December 2020, significantly improving access to coconut plants for farmers in the hinterland and interior communities.

According to Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, “Farmers on the East Bank and Region 10 will no longer have to travel to the East Coast to purchase coconut plants.”

In the first year of the PPP/C administration, Guyana exported $2.5 billion worth of coconuts and related products.

To further boost production, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Hope Coconut Industries Limited (HCIL) imported 13,000 Brazilian dwarf coconut seed nuts in 2023 at a cost of $12 million. This variety matures faster, yields more coconuts annually, and is less prone to disease.

Another 3,000 seedlings were distributed to approximately 120 farmers in Pomeroon, enabling them to yield around 240 coconuts per tree.

“We will continue those efforts and engage between 275 to 300 farmers who’ll benefit from seedlings so that we can further develop the industry and increase our export,” the minister said.

Coconut production in 2023 reached 40,000, bolstered by the imported seedlings. In 2024, nurseries were commissioned in Regions Two, Three, Four, Six, and Ten. In Region One, a coconut nursery was constructed and stocked in Hosororo Village at a cost of $4.3 million.

The ministry also collaborated with experts to deliver training programmes, invested in coconut shredders, and upgraded facilities with fencing and shade houses.

With continued decentralisation and plans for an additional 2,000 acres to be cultivated in 2025, Guyana’s coconut industry is poised for sustained growth. (DPI)