Saturday Nov 22, 2025
Saturday Nov 22, 2025
Saturday, 22 November 2025 00:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka’s coconut industry is planning a stronger production year in 2026, with the sector setting a target of 4.2 billion high-quality nuts, according to the Coconut Cultivation Board (CCB).
According to latest Central Bank data, total Coconut production amounted to 1.92 billion nuts year-to-date August 2025, down 4.8% from 2 billion a year ago. However, coconut exports grew 35% year-on-year to $ 367.5 million during the same period.
The average gross price of a nut increased 53% year-on-year to Rs. 138.25 in August 2025.
CCB Chairman Dr. Sunimal Jayakody said funding support for plantations has improved, with next year’s Treasury allocation higher than in recent periods. He noted that output fell last year due to shortages of compost, including the lack of APH compost, which slowed cultivation activities.
Dr. Jayakody cautioned that leaf blight remains a significant threat, adding that no effective treatment is currently available. Infected sections must be removed to prevent the disease from spreading.
The disease has been reported across Weligama, Matara, Galle and Hambantota, and the Board is taking steps to contain its impact on plantations.
Sri Lanka produces between 2.8 to 3 billion coconuts annually, with about 70% consumed domestically and the balance used by the coconut-based products industry, which still faces a supply shortfall, according to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s 2026 Budget speech.
To increase long-term production, the Government has allocated Rs. 600 million to expand cultivation in the Northern Coconut Triangle, following recommendations from the Coconut Research Institute.
The President noted that while commercial growers adopt fertiliser and moisture-retention practices, smallholders with less than 5 acres have been slow to do so. The Coconut Cultivation Board’s mulching program currently covers about 4,000 acres, but wider expansion is needed.
To meet medium-term productivity and export targets across the estimated 447,000 acres under coconut, the Government proposes allocating Rs. 2.5 billion for a structured program to incentivise these smallholders.
