Mexico and IICA help revitalize the coconut industry in Granada
An initiative of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), supported by the Government of Mexico, seeks to revitalize the production of coconut crop in Granada with 1.500 seedlings coconut resistant to lethal yellowing that, from Mexico, have been incorporated into the coconut varieties of Granada, in the Renaissance Program of the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) for Coconut Cultivation.
These high-yielding varieties were obtained through the efforts of the Institute, following a request from the MOA and with the colaboration of Mexico Governmet.
Through this action seeks to strengthen the production of this crop and agronomic develop skills required for care.
Among the activities included in this initiative, technical staff and extension officers have been trained in the proper handling of seedlings. In addition, 40 selected coconut producers will receive training in agronomy coconut and how to care for their plants in order to carry out the tasks multiplication of new varieties, so that they are then available for the rest of the population.
According to Derek Charles, a national specialist of the IICA in Granada, the ultimate goal pursued by this initiative is to rehabilitate the coconut industry for 2018 and have access to improved varieties, rapid entry into production and high yield, resistant disease and good quality in taste of its fruit. In that sense, Daniel Lewis, head of Agriculture, has said that the introduction of these high-performance plants benefit the coconut industry, increasing coconut production oriented markets of fresh and processed agricultural products.
An industry in recession
In Granada, before the hurricanes hit the country, most of the livelihoods of rural communities were dependent on the coconut industry; however, after the passage of hurricanes Ivan and Emily in 2004 and 2005 respectively, and disease and pest infestation, the industry reached its lowest level since production was reduced to half.
Source: IICA
