The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure

¶ 01 (a) (i) The coconut industry has legal recognition under the Coconut Products Ordinance No. 13 of 1935. Subsequent milestones include the Coconut Research Act No. 17 of 1967 and the current Coconut Development Act No. 46 of 1971.

¶ 02 (ii) The highest national production in the last 50 years was in 2022: 3,351 million nuts. Production in 2025 was 2,806 million nuts, a decline of 545 million nuts from 2022, due to: 1) Climatic anomalies (e.g., prolonged droughts) 2) Inadequate fertilizer application 3) Damage by wild animals 4) Pest damage

¶ 03 (iii) In 2012, the Coconut Cultivation Board (CCB) established 9.73 million seedlings, corresponding to an estimated 152,031 acres.

¶ 04 (iv) Estimated area under coconut (based on the 2014 Agriculture Census and CCB seedling distributions 2014–2025): total 1,202,119 acres. By district (selected): - Colombo 22,886; Gampaha 133,701; Kalutara 24,280; Kandy 13,015; Matale 36,296; Galle 13,204; Matara 12,885; Hambantota 15,092; Jaffna 3,875; Mullaitivu 8,914; Trincomalee 10,795; Puttalam 195,293; Ratnapura 47,273; Kegalle 35,847; Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Badulla, Monaragala and others included within the total of 1,202,119 acres.

¶ 05 National production (million nuts): - 2021: 3,382.90 - 2022: 3,351.80 - 2023: 2,944.00 - 2024: 2,745.00 - 2025: 2,806.00

¶ 06 District-wise yields (2025): highest—Kurunegala, Puttalam, Gampaha, Ratnapura, Anuradhapura; lowest—Mannar, Nuwara Eliya, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu.

¶ 07 (v) Five-year (most recent) total harvest versus estimated potential and yield gap: - 2021: actual 3,353.1; estimated 3,735.0; gap −381.9 (−10.2%) - 2022: actual 3,351.8; estimated 3,481.1; gap −129.3 (−3.7%) - 2023: actual 2,944.0; estimated 2,957.0; gap −13.0 (−0.4%) - 2024: actual 2,745.0; estimated 2,816.0; gap −71.0 (−2.5%) - 2025: actual 2,806.0; estimated 3,200.0; gap −394.0 (−12.3%)

¶ 08 (vi) According to data published by the International Coconut Community (as at 22.04.2026), recent five-year average total production (million nuts) among major producers includes: Indonesia 14,526; Philippines (data implied), India (data implied), Sri Lanka ranks around fourth by production among leading countries; other major producers include Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Thailand (647), Malaysia (576). Based on these data Sri Lanka ranks approximately 4th in production among the major producers cited.

¶ 09 (vii) Locally recommended practices and timelines (establishment to bearing): - Nursery and planting: • Ensure irrigation for seedlings; provide shade for sprouted seedlings. • Pot irrigation/paired basin method on either side of the seedling; refill periodically; apply protective paint to one side of the pot to reduce evaporation; water the unpainted side. • Tie young fronds to support newly transplanted seedlings; monitor and control red weevil; remove broken fronds. • Apply recommended fertilizers around both seedlings and bearing palms. • Monitor heat-stress-related crown rot in seedlings; treat promptly. • Keep fields clean of pruned fronds, weeds, and plant residues to minimize pest harborage. - Moisture conservation: • Mulching with fronds, husks; husk pits; contour bunds; organic matter incorporation. • If on-farm water harvesting (wells, pits) and leaf pits are not available, prioritize field establishment and subsequent chemical fertilization; minimize soil exposure (avoid excessive tillage). • Weed control, intercrops, and minimizing animal browsing; maintain drainage/irrigation canals with gentle gradients to enhance infiltration. • Collect and store rainwater in pits during rainy periods for use in dry spells.

¶ 10 (viii) Export earnings from coconut and coconut-based products: - 2021: Rs. 166,034.02 million (USD 834.12 million) - 2022: Rs. 262,933.94 million (USD 816.99 million) - 2023: Rs. 228,720.07 million (USD 700.47 million) - 2024: Rs. 257,921.14 million (USD 854.93 million) - 2025: Rs. 368,036.24 million (USD 1,222.19 million)

¶ 11 Major export markets (share of top destinations ~63–65% of total, 2021–2025): - United States, Germany, Netherlands, China, United Kingdom, India, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Australia, France, Mexico (mix varies by year; US consistently top).

¶ 12 (ix) Employment: As per CCB data, estimated total employment (direct and indirect across industry and cultivation) exceeds 700,000 persons.

¶ 13 (x) Programmes over the last 10 years (research, modernization, expansion):

¶ 14 Coconut Cultivation Board (extension and field support) - Group extension programmes: 16,400 - Individual farmer visits: 554,174 - Multidisciplinary outreach programmes: 20, covering farmer awareness workshops, diagnosis of field problems and broader service delivery. - Official website (coconutsrilanka.lk): technical guidance (nursery, planting and maintenance, intercropping, pest management, good agricultural practices), institutional information; downloadable resources; direct contact with extension officers. - “Coco App” mobile application (Android and iOS): complete technical guidance for coconut; access to updated information; two-way issue reporting to extension officers. - Short code advisory services: 1916 (tri-lingual hotline for technical advice and service information); 1920 short code for coconut-related guidance by experienced technical officers. - “Coconut Fortnight” mobile outreach (2025): 204 district-covered programmes, delivering field-level solutions to key cultivation and farmer challenges. - Farmer Leader Units: 198 units (2025) established as local hubs to facilitate input access and labour coordination; demonstration of complete management packages. - Farmer support schemes: assistance for systematic planting, gap filling, home-garden seedling supply, land rehabilitation, water pipe support, intercrop support, aftercare for systematically planted seedlings, crop protection from wild animals.

¶ 15 Coconut Development Authority (market, product and consumer-focused R&D and development) - Research programmes: • National-level surveys on coconut oil production and consumption patterns • Household-level consumption trend analyses • Establishment mapping of small, medium and large-scale coconut oil producers

¶ 16 (b) Not applicable.