The coconut industry earned an export income of Rs.95 billion last year and plans are underway to double this income by 2022, Coconut Development Authority Chairman Udaya Rubasinghe said.
He added that the income generated last year increased by Rs.22 billion when compared with the earnings of 2014 which stood at Rs. 73 billion.
Rubasinghe said coconut based products showed a marked increase despite a crop shortfall in 2017 and 2018.
Since more people showed a keen interest, coconut industries production of pure coconut oil, coconut milk, cream and coconut milk powder registered a marked increase during the last four years.
The international market had opened for coconut flour and coconut butter since 2015. The export income of Rs. 4 billion earned from coconut based coir products increased to Rs.10 billion in 2018.
Although there is a decrease in the production of traditional coconut products like dessicated coconut, other products had a great demand in the international market.
Add new comment