Coconut Board working with farmers to safeguard industry The Coconut

The Coconut Industry Board (CIB) is working with farmers to safeguard the coconut sector, which is facing challenges such as praedial larceny, climate change and access to affordable lands.

These issues have caused a drop in production, affecting the availability of byproducts such as coconut oil, which can cause price increases.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the CIB, Shaun Cameron, noted that praedial larceny is a major issue, with significant investment being made by the board and farmers to protect farms.

He said that the entity’s hybridisation farm has been impacted.

“The only hybridisation farm in this hemisphere, where we create the Maypan coconuts that we distribute to our farmers as a substitute for the Jamaican tall that was destroyed by lethal yellowing. A couple of years ago we were losing 40 per cent of our production due to praedial larceny. Based on interventions, we employed rangers, and worked with the police but the stealing is random,” he shared.

“What we had to do recently was invest in a security firm, which has increased the cost of production because you are paying for additional security. We were able to stem that production loss to our hybridisation farm but a lot of farmers do not have the capital or ability to pump these resources into protecting their farms,” Cameron pointed out.

He shared that one of the initiatives that the Board has implemented is to create farmers’ groups that share resources, including security.

“We are looking now to work with the praedial larceny arm of government to help our farmers get cameras and the necessary toolkits to be better able to stem and manage the praedial larceny issues that we are facing,” he noted.

At Michael Black Farms in St Thomas, Operations Manager, Zachary Black shared that the 800 acres of coconut are covered by manpower and cameras.

“It’s this use of technology that’s helping us get through those difficult times and get better production and better numbers that we can give the market what they want,” he stated.
Another issue is access to quality land for planting.

“The landscape is also a big issue because our farm and a lot of farmers do not have flat land,” Black said.  

“We have hills… so it involves the use of tractors going and collecting the coconuts. Tractors are running off the road and skidding, which delays reaping of the nut, and that’s a big issue,” he says, noting that nuts staying on the tree longer than anticipated impacts the quality of coconut byproducts.

Black shared that the biggest challenge he faces is unpredictable weather due to climate change.

“Back in the day, we would say we are expecting drought from X to Y, now we have to take it week by week to see what is going to happen,” he says.

“We are supposed to be preparing ourselves for a drought, but if you watch the weather report, we are supposed to be getting rain every day or every week. This affects production because we use a lot of manpower to reap the coconuts and if there is rain and lightning, they cannot do that,” he pointed out.

To help manage the challenges related to weather, the CIB’s technical support team is advising coconut farmers on climate-smart practices.

Cameron said the Board has worked with Newport-Fersan to develop a blend of
fertilisers to sustain the different stages of coconut development.

“You have the vegetative state that requires good root development. There is a fertiliser for that and then you have the fruiting stage where you need good-quality nuts, and you have the fertiliser for that as well. This is now available to our farmers that are registered with the CIB,” he informed.

Farmers registered with the CIB also receive 500 free seedlings over five years.

“They get weed control grants and fertiliser for the first three years of development because we want the trees to hold firm in the soil,” Cameron said, noting that farmers also receive technical advice on how to plant properly and implement climate-change solutions.

For information on how to get registered with the CIB persons may call 876-926-1771.
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