Sri Lanka to host 60th International Coconut Community Session

By Nuzla Rizkiya
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to host the 60th Session and Ministerial Meetings of the International Coconut Community (ICC), in Colombo, in November.
The event, proposed by Agriculture and Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, will be funded by the income earned by the Coconut Development Authority.
Several private institutions in the coconut sector will also contribute to the funding, the Government Information Department said.
The event aims to promote the Sri Lankan coconut industry by increasing foreign exchange earnings, promoting the country’s coconut products among the ICC member countries and enhancing cooperation among the key stakeholders in the sector. 
Established in 1969, the ICC is an intergovernmental organisation of coconut producing countries, organised under the aegis of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP). 
With over 20 coconut producing member countries accounting for over 90 percent of the world, the community works towards improved socioeconomic welfare of farmers and other industry stakeholders in the global coconut sector.
The member countries of the ICC include eight Asian countries: India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor Leste, nine Pacific countries: Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu, one Caribbean country: Jamaica, two African countries: Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire and one country in South America: Guyana.
According to the Export Development Board, coconut and coconut-related products account for 6.11 percent of Sri Lanka’s total exports. 
Export earnings of coconut-based products increased by 23.44 percent to US $ 264.4 million during January-April 2024, compared to last year.   
All the major categories, including coconut oil, desiccated coconut, coconut milk powder, coconut cream, liquid coconut milk, cocopeat and activated carbon, performed well, leading to increased earnings compared to the corresponding period in 2023.