The first coconut seed production unit in the Northern Province was inaugurated in Pallai under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, as part of the Northern Coconut Triangle Project.
Marking the commencement of operations at the production unit this morning, the President planted a seed coconut sapling.
The initiative is being implemented as a collaborative programme between the Coconut Research Institute of Sri Lanka and the Chilaw Plantations Company.
The Government has planned to promote Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Mannar as the Northern Coconut Triangle. Under this programme, 16,000 acres of coconut cultivation are expected to be established in the Northern Province by 2025, with expansion to 40,000 acres projected within the three years from 2025 to 2027.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also visited a coconut-related exhibition organised by the Coconut Development Authority in the area opposite the Pudukuduirippu Central College today.
Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, Samantha Vidyaratne, Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Ramalingam Chandrasekar, Member of Parliament K. Ilankumaran, Northern Province Governor Nagalingam Vethanayahan, along with officials of the Coconut Research Institute and Chilaw Plantations Company, were present at the occasion. (Newswire)