Guyana exported over $2.5 billion worth of coconut and coconut byproducts last year which represents a $600 million increase compared to the $1.9 billion that was exported in 2020.
The Ministry of Agriculture yesterday said in a release that of that amount, virgin coconut oil exports stood at some $685 million while export earnings for dried coconuts totalled some $1.8 billion.
Meanwhile, the release said that the government through the ministry is continuing its efforts to make quality planting materials available to farmers in the coconut industry.
The release stated that Hope Coconut Industries Limited (HCIL), formerly known as Hope Estate, established in 2021, four additional coconut seedling nurseries in Wakenaam, Leguan, Canal Number Two, and Benab (Corentyne)
This effort, it added, is in line with the government’s goal to develop Guyana’s coconut industry by making planting material more available to farmers and other persons desirous of establishing coconut plantations across the country.
According to the release, in 2020, as part of the government’s emergency budget, two nurseries were also established at Charity on the Esse-quibo Coast and the other at Kairuni on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, with the capacity to produce 25,000 additional seedlings per year. With the establishment of these four additional seedling nurseries, HCIL now has the capacity to produce approximately 48,000 quality coconut seedlings per annum.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha remarking on the sector’s performance over the past year, said that the additional facilities would enable HCIL to provide more quality seedlings to farmers, thus improving the industry’s production capabilities.
“Now that we have these additional nurseries established, we are in a better position to provide the kind of planting materials needed to improve Guyana’s coconut industry. This year Hope Estate was able to produce over 33,000 seedlings which represents a significant improvement when compared to last year when only 4,905 seedlings were produced. This shows that the investments being made by the government are resulting in the kinds of transformative outcomes we need to drive the sector forward,” the Minister was quoted as saying.
HCIL’s end-of-year report disclosed that some 115 new farmers began planting, with 1,845 acres of new coconut acreage being cultivated. It has also collaborated with the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute to coordinate the establishment of additional farmers’ groups, to be able to address farmers’ issues as well as distribute inputs more effectively.
To date, there are 50 established farmers’ groups in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and Ten.
Apart from rice and sugar, coconut is Guyana’s third most exported agricultural commodity. With the global demand for coconut and coconut byproducts projected to increase significantly over the next five years, Guyana is expected to benefit from its fair share of the global market, the release added.
