Mexican specialists endorse resurgence of local coconut industry
Mexican coconut specialists, Ms.Matilde Cortazar Rios and  Mr. Irving Manuel Fuentes Del Angel during their training session supported by IICA last Thursday
Mexican coconut specialists, Ms.Matilde Cortazar Rios and  Mr. Irving Manuel Fuentes Del Angel during their training session supported by IICA last Thursday

TWO Mexican specialists who conducted the first in a series of  training programmes in coconut production in Guyana last weekend, have endorsed the  resurgence of the coconut industry in  global commerce and in support  of domestic economies.The duo were  Ms. Matilde Cortazar Rios and  Mr. Irving Manuel Fuentes Del Angel, both of the  Mexican National Institute of Research on Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock (INIFAP).

The training programmes  for local farmers are being  held under a  bilateral agreement between the Governments of Guyana and Mexico with support from the  Inter- American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture  (IICA).
Specialist and spokeswoman Ms. Rios said that the coconut industry in Mexico and worldwide and  had gone into decline during the eighties and the nineties  due to disease and misinformation, but was now enjoying a  revival in   demand for its many products.
“Plants were lost due to diseases such as lethal yellowing,   but over the past fifteen years there has been a revival of the industry due to  intensified  support from  the Mexican Government, and this  is now  helping in the development of people  especially those in rural areas.”
She said that her   government  is helping  farmers  to renew their plantations with  the trees which   produce much more nuts than the older varieties.
Her government is also encouraging farmers to plant other crops among the trees so that they can earn more.
She said that the main product in Mexico now is copra but  the country  is placing more emphasis on production of  coconut  water  which is  more profitable than copra.
Her country is also  diversifying into  other coconut  products  such as  fibre coals, coconut milks,  shredded coconuts  and other by-products of the coconut palm.
The first training programme was  held at the Headquarters of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) Mon Repos,  East Coast Demerara.
The training aims at equipping coconut farmers to revitalize the industry and move it towards its full potential.
Rios said that the increased  worldwide demand  provided opportunities which are being seized by Mexico but  Guyana can also  benefit extensively from it  especially the  craze  for coconut water.
She said that herself and colleague intend to teach Guyanese  the techniques of farming hybrid coconuts.
The hybrids are generally  of a shorter  or dwarf variety, an attribute  which can reduce the difficulties encountered in harvesting coconuts from tall trees.
The hybrids exhibit greater resistance  to some viral diseases such as  lethal yellowing.
Rios  said that the adoption of hybrids locally is  important since there are signs that lethal yellowing which can kill  coconut  plants within six months can spread in South America.
There is no known cure for this disease.
Additionally the older varieties  or tall trees, tend to produce  after six to ten years but some of the hybrids  targeted for Guyana, start to produce fruit as early as three years into their  growth which, for the coconut farmer, means a faster return on investment.

 

 

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