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Fiji hosts regional copra meeting
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Posted on Nov 13 2000
Suva (Fiji’s Sunday Post, The Sunday Sun/PINA Nius Online) – Fiji’s Agriculture Minister Apisai Tora on Tuesday inaugurates the big Asia Pacific Coconut Community meeting at the Fiji Mocambo Hotel, Nadi Airport.
Taking part will be 60 delegates from Fiji and other Asia Pacific Coconut Community member countries.
They include India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand, Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
The Asia Pacific Coconut Community meets twice a year.
The first meeting this year, a Coconut Technical Meeting (Cocotech), took place in Chennai, India, in July.
During this second meeting in Fiji discussions from the July technical meeting will be endorsed.
According to Fiji deputy permanent secretary for agriculture, Samisoni Ulitu, who attended the Cocotech meeting: “The gain from this meeting will be large.
“We get to learn about what other member countries are doing and we pick up ideas relevant to our conditions.”
Mr. Ulitu said Fiji will put forward the idea of improving green coconuts used for drinking.
“In Fiji we have the drinking type of coconut (bu), but we are trying to improve it. India and Malaysia are ahead in this.
“A study has been done and we are intending to establish some (drinking) coconut plantations on the Coral Coast where it will be easily accessible to the hotels.”
Mr. Ulitu said there are 50,000 rural people involved in the coconut industry in Fiji.
“Although our coconut industry is going down it remains a very important economic activity for about 50,000 of our rural people, most of whom have no choice but to be in the coconut industry,” he said.
