Driven by a health and wellness trend, the global demand for fresh coconuts, coconut-based products and value-added products are at an all-time high and is projected to continue to grow exponentially. Presently, demand at both the global and regional levels now exceeds supply with the production base seriously lagging behind.
In the Caribbean the pace of the sector’s growth has been compromised by aging plantations, lack of quality planting material, prevalence of pests and diseases, a sustained lack of investment and financial and technological constraints.
Recognising the potential of the industry, the European Union (EU) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Secretariat funded the four-year project “Coconut Development for the Carib-bean” which is being jointly implemented by the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) in 11 CARIFORUM countries. The project aims to enhance farming productivity, business capacity and the competitiveness of small scale farmers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) along the coconut value chain.