The Present and Future of the Coconut Cultivation towards the Export Industry: A Case on the Coconut Triangle in Sri Lanka

Abstract

In Sri Lanka, Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) provides a livelihood for several million people from the production, processing, and marketing. It’s a major plantation product in the country. It is grown in all districts. The coconut triangle, which is distributed in the districts of Kurunegala, Puttalam, and Gampaha, accounts for about 55 per cent of the land used for coconut cultivation. The study was carried out to determine the status of coconut growers’ knowledge of new opportunities and trends in the export market within the coconut triangle. Primary data obtained from a sample survey in the coconut triangle. The study area was covered based on the extent of cultivation. The stratified random sampling method was used to select a sample of 100 coconut growers and data were collected through a structured pre-tested questionnaire. Data were analysed through the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) software using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and chi-squared test. Five-point Likert scaling was used to determine the coconut growers’ attitudes towards the status of the coconut export industry. The findings of the study revealed that more than half of the coconut growers in the study area (55%) cultivated coconut as their main primary occupation. The younger generation’s participation was very poor in coconut cultivation. Furthermore, highest percentage (81%) of the growers have moderate attitudes towards the exportation of coconut products. There was a positive and highly significant correlation observed between the coconut growers’ attitudes towards the existing coconut industry and attitudes towards the coconut export products at 0.01 level of probability and no significant association was found between the selected independent variables and the coconut growers’ attitudes towards the status of the coconut export products.